


The Stories You Don't Tell

by subtlesinner



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, NSFW, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:51:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 49,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7882897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlesinner/pseuds/subtlesinner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Cara and Sam had only met once before that night, but after the worst day of her life, Cara couldn't have asked for a better way to distract herself from the shit show her life had become, much to Victor's chagrin. But when an ex reappears from her past, Cara, Sam and Victor get thrown into dangers they never expected. </i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>An Uncharted fic featuring Sam Drake and an original character. There is some smut but a hell of a lot more story! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

Cara sat at the filthy bar, her back to the door, head tilted over her drink as she tried to drown her fear at the predicament she now found herself in; she’d been hiding out for days, trying to lay low while she shored up the funds to pay off her debts, and now that she’d done so, she was dreading the idea of returning home to resume the shambles of the somewhat legitimate life she’d made for herself when she finally decided to play it safe, just a few years before. But that was before her past came back to haunt her, and everything went to shit… She tossed back the remainder of the cheap whiskey in her glass before signaling the bartender for another glass.

“You sure you ain’t had enough by now?” The old man asked, one eyebrow raised, but Cara only nodded, not bothering to speak out loud, she tossed another crumpled bill onto the bar instead. He shrugged, turning back to retrieve the bottle, then filled her glass quickly.

“Thanks.” Cara waved him off, bringing the glass to her lips the second he’d stepped away, grimacing as she swallowed another punishing gulp of the burning spirit.

“Well, well, well… I thought I recognized you from a mile away-“ Cara jumped when a familiar voice she half-recognized whispered so close to her ear she almost struck out on instinct. “What the hell are you doing at a hole in the wall like this?” The speaker moved back a step when he noticed how spooked she’d gotten at being surprised from behind, and Cara finally willed herself to turn away from the bar and look at him, steeling herself for a confrontation, just in case.

“Oh, _Jesus Christ_ , Victor… Maybe a little more warning, next time! You scared the shit out of me.” His brows knit together with concern at the way she was acting, even though she tried to laugh off her reaction lightly.

“Carolina, the last time I saw you, must’ve been… what, two years ago, now?” She grabbed her drink from the bar, tossing back another mouthful as he asked, “Is everything alright, kiddo?”

“It’s Cara now, remember, Victor?” She shook her head, a small smile on her lips despite herself. “You’re the only person who still calls me that and gets away with it.” He could tell, even after not seeing each other for so long that she was in rough shape, her asymmetrical haircut looking disheveled from constantly running her fingers through it with worry. “Don’t pay me any mind, I’m just-“

“What- Oh, hey!” Another voice interrupted her, and Cara’s mouth suddenly went dry when her old friend’s business partner walked up to them, a beer in one hand and a scotch in the other. “Long time, no see, uh…” He struggled in vain to remember her name, smiling with embarrassment when he finally gave up. “I’m sorry, I know we’ve met before, but I can’t remember your name.”

“It’s alright, I can’t remember your name, either.” She smiled politely, white teeth standing out against her olive skin, and a twinkle of interest seemed to develop in his eye as she stuck out a hand to shake. “I’m Cara.”

“Uh, Sam.” He fumbled to set down the drinks, rushing to shake her hand; her palm was so soft, compared his own, scarred and calloused, Sam wracked his brain, but he couldn’t quite remember how she and Sulley knew each other. “Good to meet you again, Cara.” His brown eyes fixed on hers, distracted, as Sulley cleared his throat, reminding Sam that they were eventually going to move out of the aisle way, and he would need to stop staring.

“We were going to get a table. Please, join us!” Sulley motioned toward a booth in the back of the bar, still not ready to believe everything was fine with the way she’d been drinking and acting. “We should catch up a little, kiddo. After all, Sam and I are here to celebrate, tonight.”

“Is that so?” She cocked one eyebrow, reluctantly accepting the invitation; while she’d originally planned to spend the night wallowing in self pity, passing the evening among friends she hadn’t seen in some time actually sounded like a much better way to spend the time. Sulley motioned for Sam to slide into the booth first, but Sam instead turned to Cara, gesturing with a smile.

“After you.” Sullivan’s face went sour as Sam slipped into the booth after her, his eyes still fixed on the younger woman, ignoring his partner completely in the presence of a pretty girl. Sulley vaguely remembered Sam acting the same way the last time they’d met, but he and Cara’s encounter had been so brief, he’d paid it no mind… Now, he could see, Sam was too blinded by his attraction, he wasn’t seeing what was actually going on, and that could make things _messy_.

“So, you never really answered my question earlier, kiddo.” Sulley cut to the root of his curiosity once he’d sat down, more concerned for her safety than the way Sam was practically flirting with her from the get-go. “What have you been up to? Last I heard you were getting out of the game to go legit.” Cara sighed, not quite able to meet Sulley’s gaze when she tried to think of the best way to explain the shitshow her life had become.

“Yeah, I made it out for a while…” She bit her lip, hesitating to say any more. “But you know how it is, when you’re good at what you do, people will do anything to get you back in those circles.” Both mens’ expressions grew tighter, Sam’s face dropping with an unreadable expression as Sulley shook his head.

“Cara, if you’re in some kind of trouble, just say the word-“ _Of course he would want to help_ , Cara thought, holding up a hand to stop him.

“It’s a kind offer, Victor, but you’re wasting your time.” She smiled, “Honestly, the worst of it’s already over. I actually finished handling it today.” Her voice wavered slightly, betraying the fear she was still harboring and trying desperately to hide. Sam turned to look directly at her, his arm draping across the back of the booth seat behind her. “I should be celebrating right now, too, it’s just…” _My company’s bankrupt, my career’s over, and I’m broke._ She couldn’t bring herself to say it, which only grew Sulley’s concern. “Let’s just say, things aren’t going to go back to the way they were… Not this time.”

‘Hey, hey-“ The arm Sam had on the back of the booth moved to her shoulder nearest to him, squeezing gently; the contact had butterflies in her stomach for more reasons than one, but she fought valiantly not to shirk his touch despite the massive bruise he couldn’t see that she’d acquired that morning. “It might seem dark now, but change isn’t always a bad thing, right? New beginnings, and all that?” She could tell he was trying to make her feel better, but Sam had no idea what had happened, and she wasn’t about to try to explain it. Cara jumped again when her smart phone started vibrating in her pocket, just as it had been every few hours since she’d started wallowing; she’d been avoiding answering, but after what had happened that morning, she realized she did at least owe the caller a confirmation that she’d made it out alive.

“Oh, uh, I’ve-“ Cara fumbled, setting her phone on the table with a clatter, a picture of her best friend staring up at her as it continued to vibrate. “I have to get this… But I’ll be right back. I want to know what you two are here celebrating!” She smiled brightly through the alcohol, glad to be able to escape from depressing them for a moment, but dreading answering the call all the same. She clicked the answer button just in time, balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder (she grimaced, feeling the stiffness of the sore muscles) as she produced her last pack of cigarettes and lit one the second she was outside. “H-Hey Naomi-“

“Hey? Is that seriously all you’re going to say to me after straight-up avoiding my calls for the last twenty-four hours? What the fuck, Cara?” The other woman was practically yelling on the other end of the line, and Cara knew she deserved it. “What happened at the exchange? And did you figure out who rolled on you?”

“Everything went according to plan. I’ve got a hunch on who sold me out, but I haven’t confirmed the identity for sure, yet.” She took a long draw from her cigarette, closing her eyes a moment in the cool night breeze. “I can’t really talk for very long right now, but I’ll keep in touch, I promise-“

“Wait, if everything went as planned, why aren’t you already on your way home?” Naomi interrupted, reading her best friend’s thoughts and actions like a book she’d already finished a hundred times over. “Cara, you have got to stop sulking and move on! We’ve all got to work together to rebuild, now. This isn’t just about you!” Cara heard the door swing open behind her, and her heart rate picked up exponentially when she realized it was Sam coming outside for a smoke, too.

“Naomi, I-I’ve got to go. Look, I’m safe, but I ran into some old friends and decided I want to spend some time catching up with them before I face the music. I’ll call you tomorrow morning, alright?” Naomi sighed, glad to at least hear Cara confirm she was safe, but still worried for her friend’s mental state; Cara was notorious for steering off the deep end in times of crisis, and the thought of her being god-knows-where with no one to keep an eye on her was cause for concern.

“Alright, Cara. Please be careful, and…” She hesitated, before adding, “Make good decisions tonight, okay? I love you.”

“Don’t worry about me, Naomi, I’ll be fine. I love you, too.”

 

***

 

Sam sipped his beer, casually trying to camouflage the way he was watching Cara's backside as she walked away, but Sulley saw past the attempt immediately, clearing his throat to get Sam’s attention.

“Yes, dear?” Sam asked, trying to retain the image of obliviousness to Sullivan’s very obvious disapproval. Sulley’s hand appeared from where he’d settled it behind Sam’s back on the booth, (when that had happened, Sam had to admit, he had no idea) and slapped the other man across the backside of the head, _hard._ “Ow! Victor, what the _fuck_?!”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, looking at that poor girl like that… Jesus, Sam, you’re practically old enough to be her father!“ Sam rubbed at the back of his head as he shot back hotly,

“Like you have any room to talk, Victor? I’ve seen you with girls her age, or _younger_ , more than once in the past, and you sure as hell weren’t feeling this protective with them!”

“It’s not the same thing, and you know it!" The older man almost shouted, "I’ve known Carolina since she was a goddamned teenager, and the way she’s been acting tonight… I don’t like it. Something is wrong.” Sulley took an angry sip of his drink, “The last thing that girl needs is you, thinking with your dick and not your brain, and making things worse for her. Leave her the hell alone!” Sam scoffed, finishing the last of his beer in one quick gulp before standing.

“I didn’t even do anything, anyway, Victor. I was just enjoying the view. No harm in that, right?” Sam reached into his jacket, and Sulley stared at him distrustfully.

“And where the hell are you going now?” He asked, eyeing Sam suspiciously.

“I’m going out for a smoke, _mother,_ if you must know.” He pulled out a cigarette and dangled it between his lips, speaking around it with ease. “Or do I need permission to do that now, too?” Sullivan glowered, inclining his head as Sam rolled his eyes, turning on his heels to follow Cara out toward the parking lot. “Relax, Victor, I’ll _try_ to behave.” Sam tried to sound reassuring, but he didn’t make any real promises, and that’s what had Sulley worried.

 

***

 

“Ah, sorry… I can, uh, go across the street if you needed to talk still.” Sam was a little caught off-guard when he saw the lit cigarette dangling from between her lips as she hung up the phone, feeling guilty that she had done so because of him.

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. Naomi was just worried,” she could have smacked herself when Sam’s eyebrows raised, a mix of concern and interest; she really didn’t feel like dumping her ruined personal life on him right now, especially when someone so very ‘her type’ wasn’t bothering to hide the way he was watching her. “She knows I’m safe, for now, that’s all she needs to know.” Sam lit his cigarette with a snap of his lighter, savoring the burn of tobacco and the warm tingle of alcohol in his bloodstream as he stood in the cold night air next to her. He exhaled from his nose, tucking the lighter back into his pocket before he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning on the wall as he looked down at the much shorter young woman, unsure of exactly what was going on in her head at the moment, Sulley’s words still bouncing around in his skull. He knew it was probably a bad idea, talking to her alone like this, but he couldn’t help himself, the same way one would tongue at a cut on the roof of their mouth, just to make sure it still hurts.

“Was she family? Friend?” He asked, trying to sound sympathetic as he grew suddenly aware she had her dark eyes fixed on his; she finished her first cigarette casually, stubbed it out and tossed it into a bucket by the door, then produced another. She wasn’t going to leave an opportunity for a moment alone with him, even though she knew it wasn’t wise.

“Something like that.”Cara shrugged, moving to light the new cigarette, but her lighter sparked fruitlessly, evidently out of fuel. “Shit, can I borrow yours?”

“Here.” Sam nodded, passing her his engraved metal lighter. “I understand, by the way… In our line of work…” He motioned airily with the lit cigarette in his hand, and nodded, appreciating the solidarity. “It’s not always easy, talking to the people you care about about it.”

“Thanks.” She lit hers, snapping the lighter shut fluidly; her original plan for the night had changed the second Sulley interrupted her sulking, but Sam’s lack of subtlety (every time they met, it would seem), was the final catalyst. Cara knew what she wanted, and the alcohol made it easier to shut off her usually anxious brain. She made sure her fingertips brushed Sam’s chest as she dropped the lighter back into the breast pocket of his jacket, and Sam nearly choked on the smoke in his lungs. _Shit, this girl is going to be trouble._ Sam caught himself thinking as his heart pounded loud in his chest, swallowing hard.

“Listen, I wanted to tell you, I’m sorry if what I said earlier came off as dismissive… You look like you might be going through some shit right now, and I don’t want to diminish that, but I wanted to make sure you knew…” He hesitated, realizing he was rambling, but it had drawn a small smile out of her, genuine this time, unlike the distraction she’d thrown out before. “Whatever you’re going through, it doesn’t have to be all on your own. There are plenty of people who, y’know, care about you…” Cara snorted, cocking one eyebrow in response at the sudden shift in demeanor. She shrugged, flicking ash off the ember of her cigarette as Sam rubbed at the tattoo on his neck, embarrassed he'd said it.

“Are you trying to tell me you’re one of those people who cares, Sam?” She asked him, almost challengingly, and Sam’s mouth flapped open and shut, trying to formulate a response; she laughed musically before he could register a thought, “Relax, I’m just fucking with you. We’ve only met, like, once before today.” He looked back at her, amazed at the confidence and ease with which she flirted with him, turning him into a tongue-tied mess. “It’s sweet that you thought to reassure me, Sam, really. But it’s not necessary.” Smoke curled from between her lips, and Sam couldn’t keep his eyes off them. “Naomi called me out on my bullshit the second I confirmed we were through the worst of it… Now I’m just sulking, hiding out, looking for distractions and licking my wounds while I wait for my ego to heal.” He finished his cigarette and deposited it along with her first, watching her as she continued, “I’ll be alright, but it’s gonna take some time for me to get there. Life goes on.” She looked sad for a moment, and Sam wished he could bring back that smile somehow.

“That it does.” He licked his lips, nodding toward the door as another cool breeze pushed through the alley. “Hey, we should head back inside, it’s getting cold out here.”

“Alright,” Cara agreed, following him inside after disposing of the last cigarette butt, her arm pressed close enough to brush against him as he held the door open for her. “I really do want to know what you two have been up to since we last saw each other.”

 

***

 

They sat in the bar for another hour or two catching up, drinking and laughing as Cara, Sulley and Sam continued to celebrate the two mens’ most recent business venture before Sullivan looked at the expensive watch on his wrist, yawning, before announcing he was ready to turn in for the evening.

“God, Carolina, it has been so good to see you… We’ve got to make sure we run into each other more than once every couple of years, eh?” Victor smiled as she nodded in agreement, “Are you staying around here? Sam and I would love to walk you back to your room, just to be sure you make it alright.”

“Oh, I appreciate the offer, Victor,” Cara smiled sweetly, though she had no intention of calling it a night just yet. “But, I’m still planning on being irresponsible for a few more hours tonight before I have to face the real world, tomorrow. It’s been wonderful to see you, though. Please, don’t hesitate to call me, if you’re ever in the Valley and you want to grab a drink.” She passed him a card with her number on it, wincing slightly as her eyes caught sight of the company logo that emblazoned the back of the business card; Sulley accepted it without question, tucking it into his wallet. “I wouldn’t mind a little company, though, to be honest…” She knew she wasn’t exactly being subtle, but she had just mentioned she wasn’t planning on being responsible, Cara reasoned. “Sam? You feeling tired enough to call it a night?”

“I think I could probably tie one on.” He agreed, a little too eagerly, and Sullivan rolled his eyes defeatedly. “I mean, if that’s what you want to do-“ Sam added awkwardly, a moment too late. “That’ll be ok, right, Victor? One more drink... I’ll meet you back at the hotel right after.” Reluctantly, Sullivan agreed with a sigh, squeezing Cara’s hand as he stood to leave.

“ _You two be careful, now_.” He smiled tightly, and Cara knew he was disappointed with her. “Sam, we'll _talk_ in the morning _._ ” There was a sternness to the last sentence, but Sam only smiled in response, replying cockily,

“Get some sleep, Victor. I'll be back later.” Sulley left in a huff, and Cara felt guilty until Sam slipped in a little closer to her, his rough hand sliding over hers on top of the table as he invited her to lean against him.

“Well, that was pretty embarrassing…” Cara laughed to herself, a shiver running through her when he started tracing patterns on the back of her hand lightly with his thumb. “Do you want to, maybe, get out of here?”

“What did you have in mind, sweetheart?” Sam’s mouth brushed her ear, his voice huskier than it had ever been with Sullivan in the room. She like the roughness of it and wanted to hear it more.

“How do you feel about dancing?” Cara asked him, almost in challenge. “There’s this club a few blocks from here that gets pretty busy on the weekends… We can disappear there for a while. What do you say?” She sounded eager, but Sam was hesitant. He wasn’t a young man anymore, and he knew he’d stick out like a sore thumb in a place so full of people her age; then again, the idea of pressing up against her while she danced, just for him, made the concept almost barely tolerable.

“I’ll give it a shot… No promises, though.” He nodded, drawing another blinding smile from her, and Sam knew he’d made the right decision.

 

***

 

Sam hadn’t felt this uncomfortable in a crowd since Panama, or maybe the Rossi estate, packed into a high-ceilinged room with hundreds of young people, half of whom seemed determined to stare at him, judging him and rolling their eyes when they saw the petite girl with her arm wrapped around his.

“You know, I- I’m not so sure I can do this, after all.” Sam said, leaning close enough for her to hear him over the booming dance music that practically shook the floor beneath their feet. “Everybody keeps looking at me… People my age don’t come to these kinds of places. I’m too damned old to be here!” Cara could hear the discomfort in his voice, threading his fingers in hers as she lead him through the crowds with ease, to the center of the congested dance floor, where groups of people were dancing so close they could go unnoticed, and Sam started to feel a little less like a public spectacle.

“Try to forget about everyone else for a while.” It caught him a little off-guard when she turned away from him (until he looked up and realized most of the other kids around them were doing the same), her back to him as she guided his hands to her hips. She smiled, one hand coming up around the back of his head as she started to move to the music, leading his head down so his ear was near her mouth. “Relax, Sam, it’s just you and me.” While he still felt tense and uncomfortable, it was clear that Cara was totally in her element, smiling and at ease as she danced lightheartedly, finally letting go of all the panic and anxiety she’d been bottling up for far too long. He couldn’t wipe the dopey look off his face as he watched her, suddenly realizing he should probably be doing _something_ besides standing there like a creep; he started to move along, just enough that he didn’t look out of place, and the fact that he was even trying at all pleasantly surprised Cara. She pushed back against him a little more, testing his limits and grinding her hips fluidly in time with the beat of the obnoxiously loud pop music, her hand raising to smooth through her short hair sub-consciously. Sam’s hands tightening on her waist rewarded her, and Cara smiled to herself in satisfaction.

“Wow.” He said, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. “You are _really_ good at this, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” She turned her head back to look at him with a wink, but he caught her mouth in a quick kiss, instead, and Cara froze in place, not having expected it. When she didn’t react immediately, Sam panicked, pulling back with a look of trepidation on his face, fearing he’d done something wrong.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I-“ He apologized, but Cara stopped him mid-sentence, turning around to face him and wrapping her hand along his jaw as she pulled him down into a real, proper kiss with a bright smile on her face. Sam felt like the air was being sucked out of his lungs in the best way possible, breathless, as the rest of the world blurred around them; they stood like that for a moment, kissing, until Sam realized other people were starting to notice, looking at them with distaste, and his anxiety spiked again. As much as he was enjoying finally getting close to her, he felt strangled by the sheer number of people around them. “I- I think I need a smoke, you need a smoke?” Cara’s smile dipped momentarily, and Sam felt a pang of guilt, but she nodded nonetheless, allowing him to lead her through the room this time, her hand held tightly in his as they weaved between waves of men and women. Sam practically gulped in the fresh, cold air as they stepped outside into the smoking section behind the club, and his demeanor shifted right in front of Cara’s eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?” Cara asked, hoping Sam wouldn’t be upset with her for calling him out on his rather abrupt exit. He looked back at her, feigning surprise as he lit the cigarette in his mouth, handing her his lighter before she even had to ask.

“What? Oh, that?” He shook his head, running his thumb along his jawline, cigarette perched between his pointer and middle finger as he looked away from her self-consciously. “I feel like everybody’s watching me in there… Like I’m some kind of creepy old pervert.”

“You mean you aren’t?” He scowled back at her, unable to hide the tinges of guilt on his face as he tried to laugh off the joke, but couldn’t.

“Ha ha. You’re lucky you’re cute.” Sam paused, forcing himself to ask her outright; if he wasn’t up front about it now, the question would only eat at him later. “Cara, are you sure you want to be here tonight… _with me?_ I mean, trust me, you’re beautiful-“ He gestured as he spoke, and Cara couldn’t hide the blush rising in her cheeks, regretting the joke when she realized he might be having second thoughts. “You could have anyone you want, anytime. And, _Christ,_ I’m more than a quarter century older than you-“

“Is that what’s bothering you?” Cara flicked the ash off her cigarette, taking another draw before looking him solidly in the eyes. “Sam, _of course_ I want to be here with you. I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t want you here.” He still looked unconvinced, and Cara rolled her eyes. “We’ve only met a few times, but you have to admit there’s always been chemistry, and-“

“The age difference honestly doesn’t mean anything to you?” Sam asked, and Cara blushed even brighter when she realized she was going to have to spell it out for him out loud.

“Oh my god, you’re actually gonna make me say this, aren’t you…” She had to look away from his eyes, embarrassed to be actually admitting it to him, half-nervous-laughing as he watched her curiously. “Sam, half the reason I’m as attracted to you as I am is _because_ you’re that much older than me… I kind of, uh, have a thing for older guys...”

Sam could only blink back at her, cigarette nearly falling out of his mouth in surprise.

“What, really?” She smiled at his incredulity, hoping it would grow his confidence back to its former cocky glory.

“Eh, call it a kink.” Cara shrugged, and Sam shook his head at her nonchalance. He had never expected such a noncommittal attitude about sexual preferences so early on, particularly after Sullivan had made such a stink about it, but he appreciated her candor, nonetheless.

“I didn’t really think that was a thing.” She waggled her eyebrows at him, and Sam could feel himself finally starting to unwind again.

“You’d be surprised.” Cara was enjoying ribbing Sam now that he really knew where her mind was at; she bit her lip, thinking a moment before asking, “So does this mean we can finally kiss again, or?” Sam laughed, taking the hint, he crowded Cara back against the brick wall behind her, sending a shiver down her spine as he laced one hand along the flat of her cheek and leaned heavily on his other arm against the wall. When they kissed this time, it wasn’t sweet or chaste. Instead, there was an almost hungry undertone as teeth scraped lips and tongues swirled as if competing against one another, all while Cara’s hands roamed Sam’s body, grasping for purchase. Within moments, she had given up all control, surrendering herself to Sam as he moved to hold her wrists against the wall with one hand easily, his attention focused intently on how she reacted when he gripped her hip and turned his head, still searing kisses against her mouth. Cara struggled against his hold lightly, knowing she could easily break his grasp if she wanted to. She’d forgotten about how sore her shoulder was until Sam started to kiss at her neck, her whole body flush against the cold brick, and he pressed against her, just enough to push the bruise flat painfully; Cara hissed through her teeth, immediately pulling out of Sam’s grip, which he released without delay.

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart… Did I hurt you?” Concern pooled in his amber eyes, and Cara tried to shake her head, play it off as nothing, praying Sam would just let it go, but his brows only creased deeper.

“It’s nothing, Sam, just a sore muscle. I’m fine, don’t worry.” She knew it was a lie, and Sam clearly wasn’t buying her excuse, but the thought of trying to explain it, and getting Sam wrapped up in her shitty problems too, was the last thing she wanted. “Now where were we?” Cara’s breath hitched when Sam nipped at the shell of her ear with his teeth, then soothed the spot with his tongue, all while his knee slowly started to press its way between her thighs, just enough to make her want more from him. Without any warning, the door burst open twenty feet away, a group of drunk college-aged kids wandering outside to smoke, just as Cara and Sam had minutes before. They practically jumped apart, but his hands still lingered on her hips when Cara realized she’d seen one of the men before, fear filling her when she couldn’t place where. She pulled Sam’s head gently toward her, whispering just loud enough for him to hear, “Hey, let’s go somewhere we can get some privacy.” He smiled deviously, his hands dropping from her waist to lead her again as he turned away, heading back inside the loud, busy club.

“We don’t exactly have a lot of options, here in public…” Sam spoke against her ear once they were indoors once more. “We could get lucky, if one of the bathrooms is empty, but in a place like this?” He glanced around them quickly, “I don’t know… Maybe we could head back to yours, have some fun in a real bed, or-“ Cara panicked internally; she knew she couldn’t tell him she had no place to go after this, not even a car to sleep in overnight, and less than a hundred dollars cash to her name. It would ruin the mood, and she’d actually been having more fun in one night with Sam than she’d had in months.

“I really don’t want to wait that long.” She tried, and Sam’s eyebrows shot up as she saw him swallow, mouth suddenly dry.

“Guess I’ll, uh, check out the gents’ and you scout the ladies’? Meet back in a minute.” Cara smiled, laughing as she nodded and they went their separate ways.

 

***

 

It took Cara less than a minute in the women’s bathroom to know she and Sam would never get away with anything in there, with at least three different groups of girls in varying states of sobriety using the toilets, washing their hands and checking their makeup in the dim lighting. Cara walked up to the mirror, examining her appearance quickly as she tried not to be too critical of herself. Her dark eyeliner had long since smeared, and her lips were slightly swollen from kissing; she prayed Sam had had more luck than she had as she tried to ignore the sound of someone retching in one of the stalls behind her, walking calmly out the way she’d come. She scanned her eyes around the hallway, closing the door behind her, but Sam was nowhere to be seen. She wandered up and down the hall anxiously, wondering if Sam had gotten cold feet after all and left when her eyes locked with the same familiar man she’d seen outside, now standing on the edge of the dance floor with a phone in his hand.

“Hey, if we go now, I think we’re good-“ Sam’s breath was hot against her ear, voice deep and bassey until he noticed the stranger look away quickly. “Someone you know?” His hands were wandering her hips again, and Cara knew she didn’t want to miss this opportunity, caution be damned.

“Don’t think so.” She shrugged, turning back to face him. “C’mon, let’s go.” Cara didn’t even bother to look back as she followed Sam hurriedly into the Men’s room, snapping the deadbolt-style lock behind them quickly; it would only be a temporary deterrent, but at least they would have some warning before management got involved. Cara crowded Sam against the sink counter, kissing him aggressively as her hands wandered his abdomen and thighs, earning a throaty groan from Sam when her hand finally found what she’d been searching for, stroking him teasingly through his quickly tightening pants.

“Not wasting any time, eh?” Sam said, intending to poke fun at her, but it came out far more choked than he’d intended when her lithe fingers made quick work of his belt buckle, button and zipper, loosening his pants as she continued to tease him through the fabric. Every little crack in his voice only made Cara more eager, the sounds going straight to her core.

“You act like you’ve never fooled around in public before,” She slipped a hand down the front of his boxers, and Sam hissed through his teeth when her hand closed around him, fighting the urge to roll his hips. “Efficiency is the name of the game.” Without another word, Cara started to move to her knees in front of him, and Sam leaned further back on his hands against the counter, wondering what he’d gotten himself into as she looked up at him, pupils blown with want in the dim lighting as she finally shoved his pants and boxers down, exposing him to the air. Cara hadn’t been intimate with anyone in a long time, she had only had two other casual one night stands since things had gone south with her last boyfriend, but even those had been far-between. Her ex had been a fellow member of the underground hacking community she was involved with, and when she’d decided to call it quits, CJ hadn’t taken her withdrawal from their business well. Things had gotten messy at the time, but the feud had grown quiet over the years, and Cara was happy to have moved on from that period in her life. A shiver of excitement ran through her when she finally saw Sam, fully exposed and begging to be touched in front of her. “Wow.”

“Heh, you don’t have to stroke my ego, Sweetheart-“ Sam started, but his voice dropped out when she was touching him again, running her fingertips up his full length before she wrapped her hands around him and pumped him slowly. “- _Fuck._ ” The corners of Cara’s lips turned up in a smile as she savored the sounds coming from Sam. She continued to tease him carefully, little movements, here and there as his breathing quickened; she wanted to stretch his patience thin before she finally granted him the contact he craved. His breathing was ragged when she finally leaned forward, opening her lips and savoring the weight of him as she slid him past her lips, swirling her tongue around the tip of his cock before taking him deeper. Sam’s head dropped back against his shoulders, his heart pounding heavy in his chest as she moved, trying to keep himself from thrusting into her mouth with all his strength. At first he’d felt a little disappointed, thinking they would have gone straight to fucking when their time was so short, but he wasn’t about to complain; he couldn’t keep from letting out a strangled gasp when she started to swallow him, feeling her throat constrict tighter as she eased him back out again, almost letting him pop from her lips before repeating the slow, almost unbearable cycle again. Cara paused with him still in her mouth, breathing through her nose and trying to coax Sam from leaning back so he could put his hands on the back of her head, wanting him to take the lead. “Ah-“ Sam gasped, his fingers twining in her short, dark hair as he looked down at her, so ready to make him go to pieces in no time at all. “You sure?” Her only answer was to begin to speed up, inviting him to set the pace as Sam groaned and took over, moving his hips shallowly, she could tell he was still afraid to hurt her. Cara followed his movements with her hands wrapped around the base of his cock and gently palmed his balls, glad when he finally started to lose control, his body moving faster and faster; Sam knew he was doomed, feeling himself creeping closer and closer to release, trying desperately to warn her without having to actually stop what they were doing.

“Ah- Fuck, Sweetheart… ‘Feels so damned good, I can’t-“ His hands came to rest on her cheeks, looking down at her with a look in his eyes that made her heart beat double time as he started to slow, just slightly, in an attempt to prolong the inevitable, but Cara could see it, pulled him deeper still, swallowing him tightly once more. “No, baby, I can’t-“ He felt his knees nearly give out as his release burst down the back of her throat in quick waves. Cara savored the way he shook and groaned beneath her touch as he emptied himself, slowly continuing to encourage him until he’d finished. She slipped him out of her mouth, cleaning him thoroughly with her tongue before neatly tucking him back into his pants and swiping the back of her hand across her mouth. Cara laughed softly, more to herself than him as she stood, her aching knees complaining at the lack of motion for so long.

“That was fun. Thanks.”

“Uh, sure, any time…” Sam looked stunned, almost in disbelief that all of that had just happened as Cara leaned over the counter next to him, rubbing a finger along her nearly ruined eyeliner with a small pout while she waited for him to regain his composure. While an extremely sexy concept during the act, and even after, Cara was anxious to get another drink soon, the strong aftertaste of Sam’s release still lingering in her mouth. She turned back to face him, pulling him into a kiss, and Sam sighed at the unmistakable taste that permeated her mouth, his cock twitching knowing she’d allowed him to do that to her, to do that _with_ her. “So this means I owe you one now, right?” He leaned back, looking down at her with a cocky grin on his face, and Cara couldn’t help the smile perking up her cheeks, despite herself.

“Sounds good to me.”

 

***

 

Cara and Sam slipped out of the bathroom quickly, thankful no one seemed to have taken any notice of the locked door while they’d been taking advantage of the unused space. Sam smiled, his warm hand on Cara’s back as he spoke, happy contentment coloring his voice.

“So what exactly do you want to do now?” He asked, “I could use another drink, but can I play the old man card and vote we go someplace quieter for the next round?” Cara only half-heard him, distracted when her phone vibrated in her back pocket; her mind raced, no one she knew should have been trying to contact her at two in the morning. She stopped in place, pulling the phone out and unlocking it as her chest grew tight, the phone immediately buzzing multiple more times in rapid succession, a flood of picture messages displaying, one after the next. Cara’s blood ran cold when she realized what she was seeing; an unknown, blocked telephone number was sending her photo after photo of her and Sam’s time at the bar that night, pixelated security camera shots from different angles, assumably hacked from the club’s outdated system, as well as undeniable cell phone photos of them slipping into the bathroom less than a half an hour before. Sam noticed her stop walking a few seconds after it happened, turning back to her with confusion and immediate concern at the look of absolute horror on her face. “Cara, Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” She opened her mouth, but couldn’t form an answer, shaking her head with disbelief when a group of text messages followed the stream of images.

 _“WOW, LINA… I KNEW YOU WERE A SLUT, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT YOU’D FUCK A GUY JUST TO HAVE A PLACE TO SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT.”_ The next message arrived only a second later, _“AND HERE, I WAS GOING TO OFFER YOU A JOB, NOW THAT YOUR SO-CALLED ‘HONEST’ LIVELIHOOD IS GONE FOR GOOD. YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT THAT, NOW.”_

Panic overwhelmed Cara quicker than she could make a responsible decision, she dropped her phone to the ground and took off at a sprint, not caring the slightest about the people she collided with on her way out of the club.

“What the-“ Sam faltered, turning to chase her, but hesitating until after he’d retrieved her phone from the filthy hallway floor. “Cara!” He looked down at the cracked screen, and the levity of what had made her take off set in as he shoved the device in his pocket and rushed to catch up to her as fast as he could. Cara wasn’t even focusing on her surroundings anymore as she ran, completely in her own head as she did something, anything she could to get away from where her phone could be tracked. She had almost no doubts now that the man who’d ruined her life had finally decided to rear his ugly head, jealous and enraged that she would dare to move on with her life after havingbeen away from him for two years, especially after she’d barely managed to successfully slip out of his scheme to ruin her. She couldn’t fight the gripping, clawing fear in her chest that was already making it hard to breathe, so much so that she didn’t think to even glance at the glaring headlights and droning whine of the cars passing on the busy street outside as she nearly stepped out into traffic. “ _Hey, hey, hey, hey-”_ She struggled against the fingers that closed around her arm, realizing only a moment later that it was Sam, and not CJ who was holding her on the sidewalk. “It’s just me, Sweetheart, and I ain’t going anywhere. Please, just breathe…” His voice was even as he tried to calm her down. “What’s going on?” And just like that, she’d managed to do exactly what she hadn’t wanted, and gotten him involved in her petty, personal life bullshit. Cara felt so ashamed and disgusted, all she wanted to do was escape. “Who sent that?” All she could do was shake her head, tears overflowing, unwilling to let him in on just how fucked everything had managed to get. He refused to release his grip on her, trying to get her to speak to him. “Come on, Cara, you’ve gotta talk to me, here. I just want to help.”

“I can’t.” Her voice shook when she finally spoke, eyes red and swollen from crying. “Not here…”

“Alright, let’s get somewhere safe, then we can talk.” Sam tried to look reassuring, hoping she wouldn’t flinch when he finally released his grip on her arm, slipping his hand down to hold hers instead, he hoped the contact would be perceived as reassuring and not controlling.

 

***


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We’ll head back to my hotel for now, then we can talk for real, alright?” She hesitated, only following his direction when she realized she really didn’t have any other option; she had to concentrate to even get her body to move, and flinched involuntarily when the driver greeted her and asked for their destination. Sam answered the question calmly, sliding into the seat behind her, then immediately closed the partition between driver and passenger, so that their conversation would at least be distorted, and Cara felt just slightly safer. Sam fidgeted in his seat, wishing he could wait to talk until she was comfortable, but knowing he’d never be able to sit in silence for the duration of the cab ride. “Sweetheart, I want to help you, but to do that, I need you to work with me. Can we talk?” She considered the question slowly, nodding after a moment’s silence; as Sam spoke, his hand had found its way to hers, tracing soft lines down the back of her hand with his fingertips soothingly...

Tense quiet fell over them as Sam let go of her hand and hailed a cab, praying Cara wouldn’t try to run again the moment he had his back turned, but the way she was shaking like a leaf in his peripheral vision didn’t have him feeling confident. He knew they could talk in relative safety once they got behind closed doors, but he didn’t even know where to start once they got there. A taxi pulled over, and Sam turned back to make sure Cara was still with him, trying to look reassuring as he opened the door for her to climb in.  
“We’ll head back to my hotel for now, then we can talk for real, alright?” She hesitated, only following his direction when she realized she really didn’t have any other option; she had to concentrate to even get her body to move, and flinched involuntarily when the driver greeted her and asked for their destination. Sam answered the question calmly, sliding into the seat behind her, then immediately closed the partition between driver and passenger, so that their conversation would at least be distorted, and Cara felt just slightly safer. Sam fidgeted in his seat, wishing he could wait to talk until she was comfortable, but knowing he’d never be able to sit in silence for the duration of the cab ride. “Sweetheart, I want to help you, but to do that, I need you to work with me. Can we talk?” She considered the question slowly, nodding after a moment’s silence; as Sam spoke, his hand had found its way to hers, tracing soft lines down the back of her hand with his fingertips soothingly. The Cara he was seeing now was finally aligning with the version of her that Sullivan had recognized in the bar from the get-go, Sam felt a pang of shame that he was only seeing her for how scared she really was after disregarding Victor’s wishes and muddying things up with sex. He took a deep breath, “What that person sent in the text… Were they right?” He cleared his throat quickly, realizing how insensitive it sounded, and corrected, “I mean about you not having a place to go for the night, not-“ Sam’s voice died out, knowing she was already feeling impossibly low as it was. Cara sniffed, nodding slowly before answering so quietly he almost couldn’t hear her over the ambient sounds of the street around them.  
“I’m pretty much completely out of money… Not just ‘on me’, but totally broke. That bastard is the reason I had to give up everything I’ve ever made, this morning, in exchange for my life.” She sighed heavily, and Sam’s stomach dropped. “I’ve got about enough cash to cover a bus ticket back to Naomi’s in the Valley tomorrow. Up until now, I was planning on sleeping on a bench at the bus station tonight, then-“ Cara shrugged, “Try to start rebuilding my life... But now, well, that’s sure as hell not gonna happen anytime soon.”  
“So you know who it is that did all this, then?” Sam asked, and Cara wasn’t sure how she felt about the calculating look in his eye, nodding in confirmation. “Up until now, I had my suspicions, but there’s only one asshole who knows me by that nickname, who’s that jealous over a relationship that ended years ago.” Sam’s lips pursed, of course it’s an ex, Sam thought bitterly. “CJ.” Cara muttered the name angrily to herself, shaking her head as fury now flared in her chest in place of the fear she’d been gripped with before.  
The cab slowed to a stop in front of the hotel, and Cara stepped out onto the street as Sam paid the driver hastily, still slightly worried she might bolt on him if given the opportunity. Sam allowed his hand to reach for hers as they walked into the hotel, stopping her when Cara started wandering toward the rooms; she’d thought they were heading to the room he and Victor were sharing, but instead Sam was walking them to the check-in counter.  
“Excuse me, Miss?” Sam motioned for the overnight clerk, but Cara practically wrestled against him, angry at what she’d realized he was about to do.  
“Sam, no.” Cara’s fists shook; she’d be damned if CJ’s accusations were going be proven true… She wanted nothing of Sam’s act of guilty charity. “You are not doing this.”  
“The hell, I’m not.” He shot back stubbornly before addressing the hotel staff member again. “Hi, my friend here needs a room for the night. Please, make sure she gets something discrete. Off the books, preferably.” He pressed a wad of cash onto the counter top, and Cara had never seen a transaction end so quickly.  
“Right this way.” Before she knew it, they were being shown down a narrow hallway, the clerk only stopping once they’d reached the end of it, she slipped Sam a pair of magnetic key-cards. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” The clerk asked, Sam shook his head in answer.  
“No, thank you.” He passed her another folded bill as a tip, and the clerk departed to resume whatever she had been doing at the front desk. Sam opened the door slowly, hesitantly; he knew Cara was still staring daggers into his back at the moment, but she hadn’t left, so he took that as a positive sign, inviting her in ahead of him. Cara obliged, her expression icy as she passed him into the neat, simple room, waiting with her arms crossed for him to join her. “Alright, I think we’re safe now-“ The second the door was closed behind him, Cara slapped Sam across the face, hard. His mouth hung open in surprise as she half-shouted, half-sobbed at him,  
“How could you?!” She was a shaking, angry mess in front of him, trying to get him to see the truth, “I told you not to, but you still did it! I didn’t suck your cock just to put a god damned roof over my head!”  
“Woah, woah-“ Sam looked back at her, realizing her mind had immediately jumped back to the venomous comment her jealous ex had sent. “Cara, I know that isn’t what happened. Jesus, you were planning on sleeping on a fucking bench, and wouldn’t tell me until some psycho stalker harassed you!” He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit when he didn’t know what else to do. “It’s not like I’m forcing you to accept it, but come on-“ The last addition came off colder than he’d meant it, and Cara looked taken aback.  
“I really don’t have any god-damned choice.” She ground out; Sam had no idea the extent to which CJ had already gone to cause her turmoil, and what he could still do, if she didn’t act quickly. “You don’t seem to get it… CJ knows what you look like, and he thinks I’m fucking you, which means he now hates you. Give him enough time and that sadist fucker will ruin you and everyone you ever cared about! I’m not just going to skip town and let you deal with the fallout from my problems on your own.”  
“Cara, you used to work in the same circles I do now. You’re acting like I’ve never been on a bad guy’s shit list before. Give me and Victor a little credit, you know, this isn’t our first rodeo.”  
The confidence on his face did little to quell the fear running rampant in her chest.  
“Cara, what’s this guy done to you?” Sam asked, his features softening; she took a deep breath, pinching at the bridge of her nose as she motioned for him to sit, knowing the explanation was going to take a while. Cara sighed,  
“Did Victor ever tell you how he and I first met?” Sam shook his head, wishing he could smoke so he’d have something to do with his hands as he listened. “I got into contact with Victor when I was sixteen… The internet wasn’t quite what it is now, but I was clever enough to start trading illegally recovered secrets under a false identity at a very young age. As I got more confident, I also got cocky and I started arranging to meet contacts in person once we’d developed enough trust.” She paused, and Sam nodded in encouragement. “Victor was one of my first clients I ever planned to make an exchange with in person. He and his partner at the time-“  
“Nathan,” Sam supplied, a small smile coming to his face.  
“Oh, you know him?” She asked, her heart picking up a beat when he nodded.  
“He’s my little brother, actually.” That figures… Cara thought to herself.  
“When they agreed to meet me, they had every intention of distracting me and then stealing the information I was there to sell. But, when Nate realized I was just a kid, he talked Victor into cutting me in on their profits from the job, since they couldn’t pay me at the time. The job worked well despite the hitch at the beginning, and we’ve been each others’ go-to contacts for odd jobs ever since.” Sam smiled, shaking his head wistfully.  
“That sounds like Nathan.”  
“Fast forward a couple of years, and I’d managed to get involved with a group of like-minded individuals, and we formed an unofficial black market ring that specialized in the seizure and sale of classified information.” Sam’s mouth hung open, gaping at her in wonder. He couldn’t even fathom how she’d learned to do the things she was telling him about; while he’d been in Panama, locked behind bars, he couldn’t believe the trajectory at which technology had advanced around him. The fact that Cara had begun working in her field at such a young age left him floored, and feeling almost inadequate in comparison. “Needless to say, I made a lot of enemies, and a few friends along the way. Not to mention making pretty good money. It took me a long time to realize what I was doing had a greater impact than I could imagine...” She trailed off for a moment, having to pause before explaining, “I called it quits when one of my fellow brokers went on a routine exchange, only to be ambushed by a member of the group we were supposed to be selling dirt on.”  
“They tortured him, brutally, then burned him alive.” Cara’s voice broke when she finally got the words out, and Sam felt as if the air had been sucked from the room when she continued. “The bastards filmed the whole thing and sent it to every member of our organization he’d been pressured into identifying… He was my closest friend at the time.”  
“I’m so sorry.” Sam told her earnestly, to which Cara nodded, before forcing herself to finish.  
“Naturally, I wanted out of that life after that, but I was dating the person I’d co-founded the organization with, and he felt my desire to leave was a personal attack against him. CJ guilted me into working one last retrieval job, which I foolishly accepted, even though it didn’t feel right from the beginning.” Cara’s fists balled angrily, “Come to find out, two years later, he appears to have set me up… Safeguards I always put up when I’m working seemed to have conveniently failed, or disappeared completely, which made it easy to track back the leak to me. CJ tipped them off, for reasons I can only guess at, and the targets contacted me, threatened to kill me unless I paid them damages to the tune of my entire life’s savings, in addition to the net worth of the company I built from the ground up.”  
“Jesus.” Sam sounded almost impressed. “You’ve been through the ringer, huh?”  
“That’s the understatement of the century.” She sighed resignedly, “I just wanted a normal life, but evidently, that’s not an option.”  
“I hear ‘normal’ ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.” Sam winked, trying to lighten the mood slightly, “Besides, you seem pretty extraordinary to me.”  
“That’s sweet, Sam, but seriously, I don’t even know where to start now… We’ve got a big problem, mainly: CJ is volatile, and-“  
“Hey, Cara, breathe.” Sam interrupted her soothingly, “It’s getting late, maybe we should call it a night and start fresh in the morning. Victor and I were actually planning on going to visit Nathan and his family for the week, as a well-deserved vacation. Maybe you should come with us, lie low somewhere safe?”  
“I- I don’t think that’s such a good idea…” She said, guilty and embarrassing memories suddenly surfacing at the idea of seeing Nate again, “I can’t put Nate and his family at risk like that.”  
“We’ll figure something out, Sweetheart, but I don’t think we’re going to make any more progress worrying about it tonight.”

***

When she finally agreed to try to get some sleep, Sam stood slowly, stretching and yawning on his way toward the door. The thought of being alone until morning terrified Cara more than she wanted to admit; she spoke out loud, stopping him desperately as his hand landed on the doorknob.  
“Sam… Please, don’t go.” He stopped in place, turning back to look at her questioningly,  
“You sure, Sweetheart?” He was almost pleading her not to ask it, knowing he couldn’t say no.  
“I don’t want to be alone.” She hated the weakness in her voice when she admitted it, but to her immense relief, Sam nodded in understanding and started to walk back toward the bed quietly. He stopped next to Cara and leaned down to press a light kiss against her temple, stubble scraping her skin.  
“If I’m staying here overnight, I’m going to need to make a quick run back to the other room. I’ll leave Victor a note so he doesn’t worry too much, and I think I’ve got a shirt or something for you to sleep in, if you’d like.” Sam smiled, trying to reassure her that he wasn’t just looking for an opportunity to leave. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” Cara nodded again slowly, sighing.  
“I think I’m going to take a shower… Can you make sure the door locks behind you?” She stood slowly and forced herself to move to the bathroom, feeling a little better when she heard Sam testing the lock on the door as he left. She left the restroom door open about a foot, her spine tingling as her imagination got the better of her, expecting the worst to happen the moment Sam was gone; she eased herself into the spray of the hot water slowly, wincing as the shower head’s pressure beat against the tender, purple and green bruised skin on her shoulder, re-playing the scene from that morning in her head.  
The meeting had been arranged weeks ago, just her and an anonymous goon hired to pick up the cash and get out of there, as quick as possible. She’d done it a thousand times, but that felt like a lifetime ago, now, and she was so nervous she felt like being ill. Still, given the choice between ‘do this, or you die’, she had to at least try to survive. Somehow, miraculously, she’d managed to get her hands on the full sum they’d asked for, but it hadn’t been easy. Of course, the moment Naomi had heard Cara was in trouble she’d volunteered anything and everything at their disposal to repay her debt; it made her feel all the more scummy, knowing she was endangering Naomi’s future just as much as hers, but remembering what they had done to Eli years before still shook her to the core, and the fear that she would end up with the same fate, her suffering put on display for the people she cared about, was something Cara couldn’t bear the thought of. Then, the morning of the drop, she knew something was wrong… Too many people showed up at once, not subtle or simple or precise like any of her old operations would have been; CJ must have told them to send a message, because the moment she’d handed off the money, the biggest, rudest one of them, who’d acted as mouthpiece to whoever they were reporting to put his massive hands on her, trying to coerce her into doing what he wanted in front of the others. When she refused vehemently, and moved to leave, he got angrier and tossed her into the concrete wall behind her, leaving the unmistakable bruise that now covered her shoulder. Thankfully, that had been the extent of it. They had laughed at her fear, but didn’t come after her when she backed away, full of fear. Their transaction was through, and her debt was paid. They verbally confirmed it amongst more harsh laughter when she couldn’t look them in the eye anymore, and with that, she disappeared to sulk in silence.  
She didn’t hear Sam come back into the room until she was nearly finished with her slow, thorough shower. He knocked gently on the door frame, greeted by the warm steam that had collected in the tiny room to seep out through the crack in the door, letting her know he was there.  
“I’ll be right out.” Cara told him, shutting off the water as she finished rinsing the last of the soap from her body down the drain. Despite the dire nature of their situation, she actually did feel better after having a shower. “What took you so long?” She toweled off quickly, wrapping herself with the now damp cloth as she remembered Sam mentioning he had some kind of pajamas for her to wear; she realized he hadn’t been comfortable giving her the clothes while she was nude in the shower, and the thought struck her almost odd, knowing she had essentially already seen him in the same state.  
“I stuck around long enough to take a shower in the other room,” Sam replied, looking over at her from where he was sitting on the bed, his hair still damp. “Sorry, I didn’t want to rush you.”  
“No problem, thanks.” She tried to smile, suddenly self-conscious about wearing nothing but a towel in front of him. “So, you mentioned clean clothes?”  
“On the bed, here.” Sam got up to pass the folded t-shirt to her. “It’s not much, sorry.” Cara accepted the shirt thankfully, still clutching her towel tightly in one hand as she turned back to the bathroom to change. She realized a second too late that Sam had frozen, stock-still when his eyes landed on her bare shoulders, and the deep purple and green bruise that covered the surface of her shoulder blade; he’d noticed her favoring the other side throughout the evening, but he hadn’t imagined she’d been hiding something like this. Sam’s fists balled angrily, his voice tight when he spoke, “Cara-“ She finally halted in place, her heart dropping when she realized she had momentarily forgotten about the injury, and Sam wasn’t bothering to hide the rage on his face anymore. Fighting Nadine Ross, who had willingly challenged him and Nate in the past had been one thing, but Sam’s blood boiled knowing someone had laid hands on the younger woman, who looked like she’d never gotten in a real physical fight in her life. He had no tolerance for men who abused women, after the upbringing he and Nate had had. “Who did this to you?” His voice was low and tight, and Cara could feel the anger behind it radiating from him.  
“Sam, it’s nothing.” She tried to keep moving, but he wouldn’t let it go. “Please, just-“  
“That is not ‘nothing’!” He had to fight not to raise his voice. “Was it- Did he do this?!” Cara couldn’t handle the way he was looking at her, like she was broken; she stomped away, ignoring him when lost his temper and shouted after her. “Hey! C’mon, Cara-“ She slammed the bathroom door shut behind her, and Sam stood, blinking, dumbfounded. Cara ripped off the towel she’d been wearing and threw it at the ground angrily, unfolding Sam’s shirt and yanking it over her head. Sam snatched his cigarettes off the dresser against the wall and shoved the window open on the other side of the room, no longer caring whether or not he was supposed to smoke outdoors.  
He lit a cigarette with a snap of his lighter, sinking down to sit against the wall beneath the window as he ran a hand through his damp, thinning hair. Every time Cara seemed to open up to him, even a little, there was so much of herself that she still kept hidden and guarded, and he couldn’t exactly blame her. He sighed, vaguely attempting to blow smoke out the open window above him as he glanced at the glowing red digital clock on the night stand next to the bed, swearing to himself at the absurdity of it all. The bathroom door creaked open, and Cara stepped out reluctantly wearing only Sam’s thin white t-shirt, and her plain black panties, her eyes still angry as Sam kept his fixed on the wall in front of him. He sighed,  
“I’m sorry.” His cigarette glowed as he took another draw, then offered it to her. “Screamin’ at each other isn’t gonna do us any good.” He finally looked back at her, “We should get some sleep soon, it’s getting late.” Cara accepted the other half of his cigarette cautiously, sliding down the wall to sit next to him, she closed her eyes as the cigarette burned between her lips; it wasn’t her brand, and the taste instantly transported her back to their encounter hours before, when the flavor had permeated his lips, hot against her mouth. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry, and not from the tobacco, as she watched Sam get up and start grabbing the lighter, scratchier of the two blankets on the bed along with one of the starched white pillows. She finished the cigarette, sighing as she stood, looking for a place to dispose of the filter before lying down where Sam was setting a place for her. Cara deposited the filter in the trash, confused when she saw Sam slowly lie on the floor, trying to get comfortable while leaving the big bed for her.  
"You're joking, right?" He looked back at her, surprised to hear her challenging him on it.  
"What?" Sam cocked on eyebrow.  
"Sam, you paid for the room... You're not sleeping on the floor."  
Cara crossed her arms over her chest, looking both embarrassed and frustrated when he shot back,  
"Well, I'm not letting you sleep on the floor with your shoulder like that..." She had to look away again at the same look on his face, Cara climbed into the bed and sighed resignedly.  
"Then, I guess we're sharing." She patted the mattress next to her, "Come on, it's a big bed. There's plenty of room."  
"You, uh... You don't think that's a bad idea?" He looked at her incredulously.  
"Let's be honest, it isn't the worst idea I've had tonight." Cara shrugged, "At this point, what's one more?" Sam shook his head, relenting; he cautiously moved to the bed, set down his pillow and climbed under the covers, careful to leave plenty of space between them as he settled on his side facing away from her. "Goodnight, Sam." She broke the quiet one last time, surprised and a little too pleased when he mumbled back,  
"Try to get some sleep, Sweetheart."

***

Cara spent the next half hour tossing and turning as she listened to Sam's slow, even breaths just a half a foot away from her; it was the first time she'd shared a bed overnight with anyone else in ages, and she could never remember working so hard to avoid accidentally brushing bare skin against bare skin. Her foot had touched his leg as she rolled, and Cara had been afraid he would suddenly wake up and object somehow, but he had remained unperturbed, sleeping on his back, just as he had been before. From that moment, she could feel herself itching to do it again, to press the limit, to see just how light of a sleeper he was, and what it would take to wake him up. Unbidden, Cara couldn't help but remember the way he'd acted toward her earlier in the night, before he'd gotten such a good look at all the skeletons in her closet, the way he'd looked at her like she was something so strange and wonderful, remembering the bass in his voice when they kissed so passionately. She rolled over, facing away from him again with a sigh; she knew the color was already rising in her cheeks at the thought of his velvet-soft skin slipping past her lips, and the choked way his breath hitched in his chest when he finally took full control, and she was almost angry that he could suddenly sleep so peacefully next to her now. She rolled onto her back again, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration, attempting to push the thoughts from her mind as she tried to will herself into falling asleep, fruitlessly. Cara closed her eyes again, and she could almost feel his lips on hers, the way he'd tasted of cigarettes and beer, though she hadn't minded it in the least; she could feel herself growing quickly flustered, and she couldn't ignore the thought that sleep might be easier to obtain when her mind wasn't quite so preoccupied with the man lying so peacefully next to her.  
Without another moment's hesitation, Cara made to move, intending to alleviate her frustration on her own, but she froze when Sam spoke out, his eyes still closed despite the fact that he evidently hadn't been sleeping as soundly as she'd previously thought.  
"Can't sleep?" He asked, and Cara half-wondered whether or not he'd ever actually been asleep, or if she'd only managed to convince herself of that for her own sake.  
"Sorry..." She apologized, cursing internally. "I thought you'd already fallen asleep, and I didn't want to wake you."  
"You weren't leaving, right?" He rolled over, turning in the bed to lean on an elbow and look at her in the dark, and Cara was thankful he couldn't make out the blush that was already spreading heavy on her cheeks at the idea of what she'd been about to do.  
"No, I wasn't." She tried to sound reassuring, but Sam still had an expression on his face that said he didn't believe her. "I swear, I wasn't." She re-iterated.  
"You’re sure?” Sam's voice was soft, but there was something there she couldn't quite place, at the same time. "I'm not gonna wake up to an empty bed come morning, am I?" She rolled her eyes in response.  
"Because I haven't been totally convincing so far?" She asked, sarcasm falling heavier than she'd intended. Sam just looked back at her silently, and Cara wished she had a way to retract it. "Sam, I promise. I'm not going to just up and leave you." She tried not to sound guilty, "I'm just having some trouble falling asleep, after everything tonight..."  
"Well, that makes two of us." He responded honestly, and she couldn't help wishing he was still deep asleep as she'd thought he was; there was no way she'd be able to get any rest any time soon, knowing he was just sitting awake next to her, watching and listening for her every move. He chewed his lip a moment, then explained, "I'm sorry... I don't mean to keep doubting you." His apology sounded sincere, but Cara's heartbeat continued to pound in her chest despite herself. "By now, we should at least try to trust each other, I guess... Right?"  
"Well, if there's anything I can do to help with that, let me know." She joked, trying to lighten all the tension that had suddenly settled, instead drawing a dry chuckle from Sam. "I don't exactly mean to make you doubt me, either, you know." Cara sighed. "It's just... It's not exactly easy, showing you all the things that mark me as a failure, especially when we've only just met."  
The words were out of her mouth before she'd even considered curbing them; Cara bit her lip this time, wishing she hadn't spoken at all, but Sam stayed where he was, watching her carefully.  
"You're not a failure." Sam's response was immediate and re-affirming, but she couldn't accept it, nonetheless.  
"Sam, no offense, but you've literally only known me for one night." He chuckled, despite the seriousness in her voice.  
"You're right, and that's all it's taken me to tell, you're not." Sam shifted in the bed, slightly. "Jesus, you've accomplished more in your life than I ever could have at your age-" He didn’t want to explain to her that when he was her age, he and Nathan had already been in and out of prison multiple times. Cara snorted incredulously in response, rolling her eyes.  
"Sam-" She interrupted, but he wouldn't hear it, his hand settling gently on her hip over the blanket that covered the both of them.  
"Shhhhhhhhh..." He shushed her, "Just trust me on that one. You're doing just fine." He sounded almost sad when he spoke, and Cara half-wondered exactly what it was that made him think that way, but she didn't ask. Instead, she sighed, rolling so his hand was lying on her stomach instead of where it had previously settled on her hip; it was too tempting feeling his touch against her skin when she knew she'd been planning on relieving herself without him, just moments before. Against her better judgment, Cara cleared her throat, swallowing thickly before she finally spoke up again before she lost her nerve.  
“Did you mean what you said in the club, earlier?” Sam looked puzzled, not sure of what she was referring to until she added, “About owing me? Anytime, anywhere?” His face quickly turned to surprise, not quite sure he was hearing her right. Sam half-wanted to ask how she could be thinking about sex at a time like this, but he couldn’t exactly fault her when neither of them could manage to fall asleep, and the rush of serotonin after an orgasm could help them do just that. He bit his lip, unsure of how to answer her. On the one hand, he’d been anxious to sleep with her before, and his attraction to her had only grown as they’d gotten to know each other, if he was being honest. Yet, he also knew just how complicated sex could make things for them, and with the danger they now found themselves in, Sam could feel himself pulling in different directions.  
“I- I don’t know...” Her heart sank at the disappointment in his voice, “It’s not really a good idea, now that-”  
“Now that everyone’s assuming we’ve already fucked anyway?” She didn’t mince her words as she spoke. “You know that’s what they’re all going to think, no matter what really happens.”  
“That doesn’t mean we have to do it, though.” Sam answered back, biting his lip. He knew deep down that his feelings hadn’t changed; despite it all, the chemistry between them had been positively electrifying, and the thought of actually getting to have sex with her, to see her go to pieces at his own hands, was so tempting he knew he was weak enough to agree if she asked him outright, even knowing full-well how bad of an idea it really was.  
“Of course we don’t have to.” She practically purred, sitting up in the bed to look at him; even in the dim light, she knew the white shirt she was wearing left little to the imagination. “I’m asking you if you want to. You don’t have to say ‘yes’, if you don’t, but I figured I’d put it out there, if you were still open to it.” She sighed, “After all, you seemed pretty interested right up until shit hit the fan... I know I’m a human disaster and all, but I was hoping we could, maybe, forget about that again until morning, since we’re already in the habit of making bad decisions.”

***

"Last chance... You're sure you want this?" Sam asked, making sure to give her a way out if she wanted, and Cara knew there was no way she could turn him down when he looked at her that way. The dim light of the lamp on the nightstand painted his features in orange, and Sam looked almost vulnerable as he sat in front of her, chewing his lip while he watched her sit up to lift his plain white t-shirt over her head, exposing every inch of soft brown skin beneath; he had to remind himself to breathe, awed at the sight of her sitting before him as he looked her up and down, unable to keep the boyish smile from his lips.  
"Definitely. You?" Cara responded without any doubts.  
“I know it’s a bad idea,” She shivered with anticipation when Sam leaned down to kiss softly at her knees, spreading them before him and looking at her as if she were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "But I want it. God, do I want it.” His hands skimmed up past her thighs, fingertips skating beneath her panties to caress silken skin as he slipped them downward, a smile playing at his lips when she followed his lead, lifting her hips to ease the process. “You're so fucking beautiful." He praised, his voice warm when his eyes finally studied her, fully exposed and bare beneath him, drawing over every inch of her with a warmth that she could practically feel, flushing with pride. They hadn't done anything at all, and yet she could already tell Sam was straining above her, so ready to grant her the release she craved after their actions earlier in the night. "I won’t lie, I've wanted to do this since the moment I saw you in that bar..." He told her, voice raspy and deep, matching the way his pupils had grown dark as he finally touched her, his fingertips brushing against her soft, sensitive flesh, drawing a quiet breath of pleasure from her when he finally, ever so gently, caressed her center exploratorially. Cara gasped when he re-positioned the both of them, moving down to the bottom of the bed, then dragging her to him by her hips with ease; the sheer display of strength and domination was enough to leave her breathless. He sat between her thighs now, looking up at her with interest as he finally dragged his tongue across her most sensitive spot, his hands skimming up to roll across her breasts as he teased her, and Cara couldn't remember the last time she'd felt anything so good. The last time she’d had sex had been nothing in comparison, the way he treated her like she was someone special, someone to be treasured, was almost overwhelming. "Fuck. Sweetheart, you taste so fucking good." He pulled away just long enough to praise her, and Cara had to fight hard not to moan out loud as he continued to talk filthily to her.  
"C'mon," He spoke again, punctuating his words with quick movements of his tongue that only made Cara wish he'd keep going, "I want to know you're enjoying it. I want to hear you, Sweetheart." One of Sam's hands had stopped toying with her nipples to slide down her body; Cara moaned gratefully when he finally, carefully slipped a finger into her entrance, curling and probing softly as he started to stretch her open beneath him, setting a slow and easy pace.  
"Ah-" She answered vocally, tilting her hips to give him an easier angle, and Sam continued, adding a second digit, encouraged by her cooperation; he pumped his fingers in and out of her teasingly, savoring the way she felt around him as he did it."Oh, God, yes-" He pressed a little deeper, crooking his fingertips against her inner wall as he lapped at her clit, his cock throbbing between his legs when he could feel her already starting to tighten a little around his fingers. "Sam, please!" Cara pressed her head back against the pillow behind her, trying to stall the inevitable as he continued to press at her G-spot, his mouth closing around her clit and sucking gently to apply an acute pressure she hadn't expected to feel, so suddenly. "Fuck, Sam, I can't-" He pulled his mouth away, but continued pressing with his fingers, praising and encouraging her as he watched her completely lose her composure beneath him, quickening his pace faster and faster, beckoning her release.  
"That's right, Baby," He lapped at her again between commands, "Be a good girl and cum, for me." She knew she wouldn’t last much longer, feeling the familiar coil in her stomach as he continued at a punishing pace, refusing to let her back away when she tried, again, to stave off the wave that was threatening to overtake her.  
"Sam!" She cried, her back arching when he repeated the motion, curling his fingers deep and sucking her clit between his teeth and tongue in a way that made her feel like he was teasing it from both the inside and out; she could do nothing but fall apart beneath him, her thighs twitching as her fingers raked against his scalp. "Fuck, I'm-" Before she could finish the sentence, she was pulsing around him, her orgasm washing over her as he watched her with a profound sense of satisfaction, leaning back on his heels to take in her every beautiful detail as he wiped his mouth with his palms.  
"You did so good," Sam praised, watching Cara as she slowly recovered from his ministrations below him. He knew it would be a moment before she was ready for more, but he knew he wasn’t about to leave it at that, as long as she’d have him; Cara watched Sam's every movement with anticipation, praying she'd be able to kiss him while her arousal still sat strong on his tongue and lips.  
He stood slowly, palming himself through his boxers before leaning over her, Cara pulling him into a kiss. She pressed her lips against his as Sam chuckled, drawing a matching smile from Cara as she savored the taste of sex on his tongue, just as she'd made him do earlier in the night.  
“That was easily the best thing that’s happened to me in the last six months.” Cara told him when they finally drew apart breathlessly. “Thank you, Sam.”  
“My pleasure, Sweetheart.” He smiled, both surprised and pleased to hear her high praise. “Think you’re ready for round two?”  
“Technically three, isn’t it?” She answered with a grin, Sam shaking his head in bewilderment.  
“Fuck, round three? I might be getting too old for this.” Cara sat up, catching him by surprise with a peck, sweet and short this time.  
“You can do it, I have faith in you.” She teased, practically glowing, and Sam felt his chest swell; Cara started to move up the bed, her hand trailing on Sam’s arm, beckoning him to follow her to where they could find a more comfortable position. It took her a moment to realize just how long it had actually been since she’d last had sex with anything that wasn’t made of silicone; she and CJ had parted ways two years ago, and her last sexual experience after that had been a random one night stand she hadn’t even bothered to learn’s name almost a year afterward... Needless to say, it hadn’t been anything groundbreaking or spectacular, and she’d made a point not to see him again afterward. But with Sam, she felt so different- comfortable and happy, despite the world crashing down around her shoulders. She knew everything was still going to hell in a hand-basket, but in the moments between, like this, she was glad to allow herself the temporary distraction.  
Sam crowded Cara back against the headboard of the bed, his hands grabbing and touching every bit of skin he could find as he kissed her fiercely; Cara responded in kind, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck and biting his lip feverishly, earning a growl from the older man.  
“Let’s trade positions.” Sam directed when they’d finally broke apart again. “I want you on top.” Cara grinned, fumbling to move out from underneath him as quickly as she could, while Sam moved to sit against the pillows and headboard, pulling his boxers down and off as he went. Cara straddled him, shivering when she felt him brush against her, then stopping quickly; Sam almost panicked, until she asked,  
“Do you have any protection? I, uh, didn’t exactly think I’d be having sex tonight...”  
“Uh... Yeah, I think I’ve got one-” He seemed almost slightly embarrassed, pointing to the bedside table where his wallet was sitting, alongside the room keys, and Cara moved to grab the contraceptive without another moment’s hesitation. Sam’s eyelids fluttered shut, a deep, low sigh rumbling from his chest as she tore open the foil packet and rolled the condom over him, stroking his cock from top to bottom a few times before moving to position herself over him as before. Sam’s hands settled on her thighs, rubbing up to grasp her hips as she finally eased herself down onto him at a tantalizingly slow pace; Cara could feel every detail of him as she continued, taking him deeper and deeper until she was finally sitting with her full weight pressed against him, and Sam couldn’t keep from settling his head on her shoulder, kissing and nibbling at her collarbone lightly. “Fuck, you’re so fucking tight-” He mumbled into her ear, and Cara took that as her queue to start moving, working her hips up and down against him, savoring the little jolt at the base of her spine every time he brushed her deepest spot, and gasping when he started meeting her half-way, slamming against her walls with ever-increasing force.  
“Woah!” Cara yelped, Sam immediately slowing his pace when he recognized he’d hit her limit, he lifted his head to look at her apologetically, but continued to fuck her nonetheless.  
“Sorry...” He panted, “Too deep?”  
“Just a little-” She struggled to answer, her legs starting to burn with exertion; she couldn’t hold in the moan that escaped when Sam’s hand fell to her clit, rubbing circles with his fingertips as his head lowered again, his mouth finding one of her breasts. “Oh my God, Sam-” Cara could feel herself getting closer and closer to her release, no longer bothering to try to quiet her hitching breath and desperate keening as Sam pulled his mouth away long enough to keep encouraging her, his voice rasping in her ear.  
“That’s right, Sweetheart,” Sam’s stubble scraped against her ear as he rolled his hips up to meet her, and Cara’s legs felt like they were about to give out underneath her, shaking uncontrollably. “’Want you to cum all over my cock-”  
“I’m so close-” Cara ground out, “Fuck, that’s it... I’m cumming!” Her legs shook as she collapsed against his chest, her pussy tightening around him in little waves that made Sam sure he’d be following on her heels in mere seconds. He lost control, pumping into her once, twice, then grunted as he wrapped his arms around her, his orgasm hitting him like a car hitting a brick wall at a hundred miles an hour. Cara and Sam sat like that, entwined and embracing for a moment, riding out their respective endorphin rushes until they finally felt like they could move again. Cara slid Sam’s slowly softening cock out of her, flopping onto the bed as he stood to take care of the condom, and Cara felt like she might finally be able to get some sleep, after all.  
Sam walked back to the bed slowly, handing Cara a towel to clean herself up with before pulling his boxers back on and then climbing back into the bed. Cara did the same, putting her panties back on and then drew back the blanket and sheets to lie down.her She wondered whether or not Sam would be willing to grant her one last creature comfort, but feared asking him, after how much he’d already worried sex would affect things between them; she settled under the blanket, facing away from Sam instead, so that she wouldn’t be tempted to reach for him in her sleep. To her complete surprise, Sam slipped one muscular arm under her pillow, hesitating only a moment before asking,  
“Sorry- Is this alright?” She turned to look back at him, nodding quickly, then sighed with relief when she felt Sam move a little closer, his body warm and heavy and comforting as he slipped his other arm over her waist.  
“Good night, Sam.” Cara told him, her voice quiet in the dark.  
“Good night, Sweetheart.” He echoed, his mouth close enough to her ear that she could hear him breathing, calm and even. For the first time in weeks, Cara was asleep within minutes, dark and dreamless sleep greeting her like an old friend.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the positive support I've received so far! I hope you enjoy where this is headed :)


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Good morning, son," Victor greeted, ignoring the fact that just from Sam's voice, he could tell the younger man had obviously been up well past an advisable hour the night before. "Do you want to explain to me just what the hell's going on? I saw the note-" Sam shifted slowly, hoping against all hope that Cara wouldn't wake as he tried to slip out from under her._
> 
>  
> 
> _"Give me a minute, Victor," Sam stalled, thankful when she sighed quietly and rolled back onto her pillow, still sleeping peacefully as he cast his eyes around for his pants from the night before. "I'll explain everything, just let me wake up, a second-"_
> 
>  
> 
> _"I’m about ready to fly to Nate and Elena’s on my own, and leave your ass to walk." Sullivan was in no joking mood, unable to forget the way Cara and Sam had been carrying on like flirtatious teenagers the night before, Sam’s note still fresh in his mind. “Talk. Now.”_

Victor Sullivan woke early the next morning, following the routine he'd more or less established over the last few years working with Sam; he rose at the crack of dawn, showering and dressing long before he knew Sam would awaken, glad to have his own time to read the newspaper and drink his coffee. With a frown, Victor noticed he'd spent the night alone in their room, finding the note Sam had left on the hotel stationary, quickly scrawled in his unmistakable, chicken-scratched handwriting:

 

_Victor-_

_Spent the night at Cara's - not what you think. Call me when you wake up, I'll fill you in on the details. You were right, something's up with her._

_-Sam_

 

The scrap of paper did little to quell the anger rising in Sullivan's chest as he read, the thought of Sam and Cara spending the night together immediately making him so angry he could swear he was seeing red. He grabbed the phone he'd left to charge on the bedside table quickly, crumpling the note and punching in Sam's number, calling with no regard for the time anymore. If Sam had bothered to completely ignore his word of warning, Victor didn’t give a damn if he woke the idiot up at such an early hour... In Victor's mind, Sam had earned every gratifying moment of misery he got. The phone rang so long, Sullivan wondered whether or not Sam would even answer; to his surprise, a click on the other end of the line caught the call seconds before sending it to voicemail.

"Mmmph-" Sam's voice practically growled on the other end of the line as he fumbled to answer, barely bothering to press the phone against his ear, eyes still clenched shut against the offensive light of the morning. He made to shift in the bed, but stopped quickly when he realized Cara was still sleeping with her head pressed against his chest comfortably, his other arm wrapped around her shoulders, though it had gone completely numb overnight. "Mornin', Victor..." He kept his voice low, trying not to wake her when he had a distinct feeling she probably hadn’t slept a healthy amount in days.

"Good morning, son," Victor greeted, ignoring the fact that just from Sam's voice, he could tell the younger man had obviously been up well past an advisable hour the night before. "Do you want to explain to me just what the hell's going on? I saw the note-" Sam shifted slowly, hoping against all hope that Cara wouldn't wake as he tried to slip out from under her.

"Give me a minute, Victor," Sam stalled, thankful when she sighed quietly and rolled back onto her pillow, still sleeping peacefully as he cast his eyes around for his pants from the night before. "I'll explain everything, just let me wake up, a second-"

"I’m about ready to fly to Nate and Elena’s on my own, and leave your ass to walk." Sullivan was in no joking mood, unable to forget the way Cara and Sam had been carrying on like flirtatious teenagers the night before, Sam’s note still fresh in his mind. “Talk. Now.”

"Just relax, already, Christ." Sam replied quickly, stumbling toward the door as he dressed hastily, phone still pressed between his shoulder and ear; he didn't even bother to look in the mirror as he passed, knowing he probably looked just as rough as he felt after so little sleep the night before. "I'm literally down the hall right now," Sam slipped out the door, casting one final quick glance behind him, back into the dark hotel room, checking to make sure Cara was still sleeping in the bed peacefully before he shut the door behind him, stopping to test it as he had when he left the night before. "Just come out and meet me for whatever shit they manage to call breakfast around here. We need to talk."

"No shit, 'we need to talk'." Victor half-mocked Sam's voice when he quoted him, walking brusquely out into the hall and wondering where in the building Sam had managed to end up overnight. “As if that isn’t the understatement of the century."

"You have no idea." Sam responded quickly, shaking his head. After everything Cara had managed to let him in on last night, he knew Victor would feel like an asshole for treating him so coldly, not that he didn't exactly deserve whatever shit Victor gave him after expressly ignoring his requests not to complicate everything by having sex with Cara.

"You've got a lot of nerve, you know-" Victor growled, poking Sam in the chest accusatorially when they finally met up in the lobby of the hotel. Sam turned away quickly, ignoring Sullivan’s outburst until he’d poured himself a cup of coffee, taking a seat at one of the tiny, filthy tables left open for guests eating the so-called 'complimentary continental breakfast' provided by the hotel, and inviting Victor to join him.

"Victor, just listen for right now, please." Sam answered, ignoring the way his older friend was glowering at him. "You can yell at me in a minute, but first I’ve got to tell you,” He ran a hand over his face, trying to get some of the sleep out of his eyes with a heavy sigh, “You were right... That girl's life is complicated, and bad things are gonna happen, to all of us, unless we do somethin’ about it.”

Sam didn’t even know where to start. He knew he couldn’t tell Victor the whole truth about what had happened; the thought of trying to explain the fact that they’d been followed and recorded by one of CJ’s lackeys on their way to have oral sex in a public bathroom made him feel sick to his stomach, but Victor sat across the table from him expectantly waiting for Sam to elaborate.  
“So, when she tried to shrug off my questions last night,” Victor started, pressing Sam to say more, “That was just Cara trying not to get us involved in her troubles,” Sam nodded, “And you went ahead and stuck yourself right in the middle of it, anyway.” Sam couldn’t quite look him in the eyes as he said it. Taking that as his answer, Victor shook his head, so angry he had to fight to keep himself from shouting and drawing attention to them. “Kid, just how the hell could you be so stupid? I told you not to do it, didn’t I? Was that not enough of a reason to think it was a bad idea?” Sam glowered across the table from Victor, chewing the inside of his cheek for a moment.

“Yeah, well hind-sight’s always 20/20, isn’t it?” Sam shot back, trying to fight the guilt in his chest. “Besides, it wasn’t just me, making that decision on my own, you know?” He spat, and he knew he’d said the wrong thing when Sullivan’s nostrils flared, looking like he was ready to haul off and smack Sam again.

“I told you she wasn’t acting like herself, and you still thought that was an ok thing to do?” Sullivan scoffed, “Taking advantage of an innocent, unsuspecting girl like that-”

“Innocent? Look, all I’m just saying is there’s two sides to the story, here, and you’re only pretending to listen to my half! Christ, if you’re so worried about her so-called ‘well being’, why don’t you just ask her about it yourself?” Sam was getting defensive now, remembering the way Cara had assured him she’d been enthusiastic in her consent. “She’s a grown woman, capable of making her own damned decisions, for fuck’s sake-”

“Not when she’s in danger, she’s not-” Victor practically growled back, and Sam looked even angrier. “I know how that kid acts when she’s in too deep, and last night, she wasn’t being herself!” Victor was practically shaking with anger as Sam opened his mouth to retort hotly, hesitating a moment after thinking better of it.

“You know what, fine. You can be angry at me for what happened, but we’ve got to put that aside for now. What’s done is done, and it’s too late to change it, whether I regret it, or not.” The last words were said through gritted teeth, which did nothing to quell Sullivan’s temper.

Sam took a sip of the burnt coffee in front of him, wrinkling his nose at the horrible aftertaste as Victor stared daggers at him from across the table. The older man hated to admit it, but he knew Sam was right; getting angry at each other now over something that had already happened and couldn’t be changed wasn’t going to do them any good, even if he wanted nothing more than to strangle Sam until he was purple in the face at the moment.

“So, how bad are we really talking?” Victor finally asked after a long tense silence, glancing at Sam questioningly. “We’ve gotten out of some pretty tough jams before.” Sam sighed heavily as he finally started to tell Sullivan about what had happened the night before, though he was sure to gloss over anything regarding what had physically happened between him and Cara, skipping instead to explaining how she was essentially being stalked by an obsessed ex, and the fact that said ex now knew Sam's identity because they were seen hanging around one another; Victor’s expression grew serious when Sam started to detail everything that Cara had told him about her reasons for leaving her previous line of work, along with had been done to her over the course of the last few weeks, and the way she'd been more or less blackmailed into following CJ's psychotic demands in exchange for her own safety.

"And," Sam hesitated, shrugging, "That's where we're at, more or less... I got Cara a room here last night because she didn’t have anywhere else to go.” He sighed, “Victor, she was planning on sleeping on a bus station bench overnight, for god’s sake. I couldn’t leave her alone like that, not after hearing what she’s been put through.” Sullivan shook his head sadly, he’d never imagined she would have gotten herself in such a state. It was no wonder she was so quick to refuse his offer to walk her back the night before, she must have been so embarrassed, she didn’t want him to find out. The thought felt like a punch to the gut, and Victor wished she’d trusted him enough to say something sooner. “She was still pretty spooked last night when I had planned to head to bed, I didn't feel right just leaving her alone. That’s why I didn’t come back to the room. I’m sorry..." Victor supposed he could almost understand where Sam was coming from, despite the way his insides still burned when he thought of Sam’s ability to take advantage of Cara’s fear and insecurity in that situation.

"So, she’s still asleep right now?" Victor asked, working to keep calm. What mattered now was that they were involved in the problem, and that they could do something to help her.

"As far as I know, but-" Sam hesitated, realizing he'd been a bit of an ass, leaving her alone in the hotel room without any sort of note or explanation as to where he’d gone. "Shit- I should have let her know where I was going this morning, if she wakes up alone, she’s gonna think-" He didn't bother to finish the sentence, knowing how it sounded after he said it out loud, but not caring. Victor opened his mouth to retort, but not a moment later, Cara came skittering into the lobby at full speed, her eyes as wide as dinner plates when she finally found them. Her voice sounded panicked when she quickly stated,

“Boys, we need to get out of here, right now.”

 

***

 

“Mmm... Sam?” Cara groaned, her eyes cracking open at the sound of a mobile phone vibrating, but in the fog of sleep, she had no idea where to even begin trying to locate it; she frowned when she realized she was alone in the bed, having sworn he’d been lying beneath her just a few minutes before, the sound of his heartbeat calm and steady in her ear as she’d slept comfortably for the first time in weeks . Her stomach tightened, wondering where he’d gone off to, and praying it didn’t have anything to do with her pressuring him into sex the night before. “Fuck.” Cara thought out loud bitterly, anger flaring when she could still hear the buzzing of the vibrations that had woken her continuing, pausing for a moment when no answer brought the caller to voicemail, and then resumed buzzing again moments later. She glanced around the hotel room, agitated, in search of the source of the offending noise, but her stomach knotted uncomfortably when she realized it wasn’t Sam’s phone that was being called incessantly. “No... no, no, no, no, no-” Cara muttered when she recognized the protective case that had done little to keep her phone’s screen from shattering when she’d tossed it against the floor; Sam must have thought he was helping, picking up the device to give back to her later, but in truth, Cara had intended to destroy it, to leave it for someone else to find and dispose of... She’d figured CJ had managed to hack a satellite, tracking her phone’s activity to more-or-less pinpoint her location as a means of stalking. Having had the phone not in use for the majority of the evening, she’d figured they’d been safe, but now that someone was calling her off the hook, Cara knew they needed to get as far away as possible, and quickly, or CJ’s goons could be waiting for them, already. Curiosity shook her, unable to tear her eyes from the phone as she grabbed it and checked the caller ID as best she could through the webbed glass, half-relieved and half-terrified that it was Naomi’s name on the screen and not CJ’s unknown or blocked number, but she knew she didn’t dare answer it; Cara resolved to have Sam pick up a burner phone as soon as they were safe again so she could check in with Naomi and let her know what was happening. A thought struck her as she took the phone, bending it over the edge of the dresser until it snapped, bent at a funny angle, then allowed it to drop to the floor unceremoniously with a clunk; back when she and Naomi had first met, they had developed a piece of software together, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, that had allowed them to communicate via a virtual private network on a tiny hosted post office protocol server as a form of one-time-use instant messaging. At the time, it had been convenient and fun to be able to send each other little messages that they knew the rest of the world couldn’t see, but it had been months since either woman had even loaded up the platform, let alone used it to try to reach one another... Cara realized it would be an ideally safe way to communicate without being intercepted, but she could only hope Naomi would remember it and follow her line of thinking. Her heart pounded in her chest as she searched around for her clothes from where they’d been discarded the night before, dressing as quickly as she could, and packing whatever she could find of Sam’s things into his suitcase as she went. They would need to leave as soon as possible in order to remain out of sight, or she knew CJ would be able to make things as difficult as he wanted until he finally lost interest and had them killed; she’d seen it happen, and after all the cat-and-mouse he’d already submitted her to, she had no doubt he’d run out of interest soon enough... Cara just prayed they would be able to do something to strike back before he got to that point.

She rushed down the hallway as quickly as she could without breaking into a full sprint, wishing she knew which room Victor and Sam were staying in, figuring that Sam might have just returned to their room to keep up appearances with Victor; she couldn’t suppress the pang of guilt that accompanied the memory of his protesting while she’d fought to convince him to sleep with her the night before... At the time, she’d felt sure he’d been just as desperate and willing as her, but now she feared she’d pushed too hard, forcing him to do something he hadn’t wanted to do, just because she’d asked him to, and that felt more awful than she could describe. Cara rounded the corner through the lobby at a jog, her eyes flitting around until she finally recognized Sam’s profile, sitting over a cup of coffee and looking upset; her stomach clenched, until she got closer and realized Victor was sitting across the table from him, looking just as angry. She rushed through the door at a full sprint, slipping on the dirty carpet as she finally reached them, urgency in her voice as she remembered what had sent her running in the first place.

“Boys, we need to get out of here, right now.” Immediately, they were on their feet, unsure of what had happened, but willing to follow when she looked as desperate and scared as she did. “Sam, I tossed my phone at the club for a reason-”

“Shit.” Sam cursed, “I’m sorry, I thought-”

“It doesn’t matter.” Cara cut him off quickly, “Naomi’s been calling me off the hook for the last five minutes, and that means CJ’s had plenty of time to track us from the GPS in my phone. I broke it the second I found out, but, by now...” She shrugged. “We have to go, as soon as possible.”

“Go where?” Victor asked, bewildered. His mind was racing as he tried to remember whether or not he’d put any fuel in the plane before they left.

“Anywhere but here.” Cara answered, and they were off, sprinting down the hall back to their rooms to pack whatever they could, while the hotel lobby attendant shouted after them for running in the halls.

 

***

 

Cara and Sam stood outside the hotel, chain-smoking cigarettes anxiously, while Victor called for a taxi back to the airfield he’d been boarding the plane in; hyper-aware of every little movement around them, Cara felt jumpy and sick, desperate to get away from the broken phone and subsequent exposure she felt so sure CJ would have someone’s eyes on them, immediately. The tension between them was palpable, but Cara couldn’t bring herself to break the silence. Sam cleared his throat, his voice low and somehow sad when he spoke, which made Cara feel worse, if that were even possible, at this point.

“Did- did you sleep alright?” His curiosity was genuine, as she looked back at him, drawing off her cigarette deeply as she studied his features; compared to the night before, Sam looked even older, somehow. Tired, and deflated at the amount of stress they suddenly found themselves under. She wished she could somehow apologize to him without actually having to say it out loud.

“Yeah, actually...” Cara smiled sadly, “It was, kind of, the best sleep I’ve had in months.” He seemed at least a little pleased with her answer, perking up just slightly, which gave Cara a little glimmer of hope to hang onto.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” Sam paused, before adding, “I’m sorry for leaving without saying anything this morning... Victor called, and he was upset, so I left in a rush. It wasn’t until we were already at each other’s throats that I realized I’d just, up and left you, with no idea where I’d gone.” Cara’s stomach finally started to un-knot slowly, and Sam could almost see her relaxing slightly in her body language. “I didn’t want you to think I left because-”

“Oh, thank God.” Cara looked back at him thankfully, indescribably relieved to hear he hadn’t left because of her, “When you weren’t there, this morning, I thought you were ashamed... I was worried I forced you into something you didn’t want to do last night... Sam, I’m so sorry! I never wanted to force you into something-” She rambled quickly, all her fear bubbling over, and Sam looked taken aback; here, he’d thought he was the monster after all that had happened, while Cara was worrying about herself in the same way... He held up his hands to stop her from babbling, cigarette bobbing between his lips as he spoke with an incredulous look on his face,

“What? No, no, no, Sweetheart,” Sam still couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “Where would you ever get that idea?”

“I don’t know, the way you protested, at first, before I started pushing myself on you, I just-” Sam smiled at her for the first time since he’d woke that morning, “Assumed the worst, I guess...” Cara’s cheeks flushed at the way he was looking at her, now.

“You don’t... you know, uh... regret it, or anything, right?” Sam stumbled through the question awkwardly, Sulley doesn’t know a damned thing about us, he reassured himself when he saw the look on her face at the question.

“What? Sam-” Cara’s eyes widened again, “I mean, it probably wasn’t the greatest decision I’ve ever made in the moment, but that doesn’t mean-” Her mouth clamped shut as Victor trudged back into earshot, slipping his phone into his pocket.

“The cab is here, and we’ve got enough fuel in the plane to make a quick exit. After that, though, we’ll have to land to re-fuel.”

“As long as we’re far away from here, that sounds fine.” Cara sighed, worried Sam would get the wrong idea with where she got cut off mid-sentence.

Sam loaded the bags into the trunk of the cab, Cara hanging back just slightly as Victor climbed into the opposite side, wishing they still had more time to talk.

“Hey, we’re good, right?” Sam asked, just loud enough for her to hear.

“Ye-Yeah,” Cara stammered, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “Of course.” In reality, she had no idea what to think anymore. She was relieved that Sam hadn’t left her out of shame, and she couldn’t deny that sleeping with him had been literally the only good thing to happen to her in months; but, it was also very clear Victor had come to a correct assumption about what happened, and did not approve in the slightest, his every move bristling with tightly controlled anger. Cara rushed to open the car door and climb into the middle of the back seat, barely fitting between where Victor already sat waiting, and where Sam was already moving to join them. Victor rattled off the airfield address, confirming it with the driver before they sped off through the city, uncomfortable silence falling over them.

 

***

 

“Alright, we’re here, but you still haven’t told me exactly where to fly, and we don’t have enough fuel to screw around.” Victor said, his voice tight and agitated as he sat down in the pilot’s seat, Sam taking his place at co-pilot.

“I’m still voting we head toward Nate and Elena’s.” Sam answered matter-of-fact-ly, buckling himself in.

“No.” Cara answered flatly, gripping the seat below her with white knuckles; she’d had a great fear of flying ever since she was a little girl, and she was not looking forward to being airborne in the small, fragile-looking private plane. “If you and Nate both have mugshots in the system, he’ll know, immediately... It would be the first place he’d look, and I don’t want to put them in any unnecessary danger!”

“We don’t have to go right to their doorstep-” Sam argued, “Just close enough that we’ll know they’re safe. We can hide away somewhere nearby... There’s got to be something we can do to defend ourselves.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair anxiously, “Where does this asshole live, anyway?”

“Last I heard, somewhere in California. He owns a couple different start up businesses, finances them with his illegally obtained fortunes, then sells them when they get too big to handle.” Sam wrinkled his nose, already hating the man even more. “But he could be doing that from anywhere, now... It’s been a long time since I last had any interactions with him.”

“Do you have any contacts you can reach out to?” Sam’s eyebrows were creased in concentration as he asked.

“Hey, I’m still looking for a destination, here... We can’t really afford to waste time.” Victor interrupted Sam’s question, frustration eking through as he nodded toward the parking lot, where Cara suddenly recognized a few of the thugs from the exchange climbing from a slick black SUV.

“Fine, go toward Nate’s, just get us out of here, please.” Cara shivered, her hand rubbing at her shoulder sub-consciously, and Sam made the connection slowly. He wanted to ask her about it, but not with Sullivan right there, not wanting to put it out in the open like that. His stomach churned; he wanted to jump out of the plane and beat the shit out of the biggest one, but he knew he’d likely be dead before he landed the first punch... There was no mistaking the submachine guns strapped under their jackets and pistols tucked into the fronts of their pants as all five men started sprinting in their direction.

“Alright, hang on tight, kiddo!” Victor whooped, starting to taxi the plane down the runway and away from the men running full speed at them; Cara felt sick with anxiety, still hanging onto the seat cushion for dear life, she clamped her eyes shut tightly, trying to breathe through her nose.

“You okay, Sweetheart?” Sam asked from over his shoulder, relaxed despite the way the plane was bumping against the runway, stuttering and bouncing slightly before they finally caught the breeze, starting to climb into the air. Before Cara could answer, a stray bullet or two zinged off the back of the plane, loud and startling when she thought they’d made a clean exit.

“They’re shooting up my fucking plane!” Victor complained, glancing back to see if there was any damage to the interior.

“Cara, are you alright?” Sam asked, scrambling out of his seat despite the steep incline, the plane still gaining altitude by the second.

“I’m okay. The bullet just punched through the floor back there-” She pointed to a hole the size of a quarter in the back of the plane, sick to her stomach that she could see the ground below through it. Her voice was quiet, almost swallowed by the sound of the engines roaring; Sam sat clumsily in the seat across from her, keeping his eyes trained on her as she clamped her own eyes shut again, counting the seconds between her breaths as she tried to calm down.

“Hey, just breathe,” Sam’s voice was even and calm as he helped her focus on him, drawing her attention away from her surroundings, just as he’d done for Nathan when they were kids, before the orphanage, when things were getting bad at home, “Keep your focus on me, Sweetheart. Don’t worry about the plane, Victor’s got it under control, just ignore all that and keep looking at me.” She was breathing hard, fighting the panic that was gripping her chest like a vice, but somehow Sam’s coaching was helping, at least a little bit. She kept her attention locked on his amber-colored eyes, studying every detail of his face in an effort to distract herself from the tiny rolls of turbulence as the plane finally reached cruising altitude and leveled out. “There, see?” He smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening, and Cara finally released her tight grip from the seat, allowing her fingers to regain feeling slowly as the plane seemed to finally settle into place.

“All these years, and you still haven’t conquered that fear of flying?” Victor asked teasingly, trying to remember the last time he’d managed to convince Cara to fly with him, even though it had been close to a decade ago, from what he could recall.

“It doesn’t help when assholes are shooting at me.” There was a bite to her voice, and a bitterness in her eyes that made Sam’s insides burn; he had no doubts now, those had to be the men that hurt her, and he cursed himself for not staying to fight back against them.

“They’re behind us, now.” Sam told her firmly, reaching across the gap between them for her hand against his better judgment, hoping Victor couldn’t see it out of the corner of his eye. “We won’t be dealing with them again for a while. You can relax, now.”

“Hopefully, anyway.” Cara sighed, doubtful at this point. She knew she wouldn’t relax until they were safely on the ground again, nonetheless.

“So, what now?” Victor asked, his head still facing forward, eyes trained on the skyline in front of them. “We’ve got about an hour’s worth of fuel, then we’ll have to land somewhere, regardless.”

“Plenty of time to come up with a plan.” Sam smiled, and Cara wished she felt as confident as he looked as they continued onward toward the horizon.

 

***

 

The first thing she knew they needed once they landed was a decent computer. Sullivan had volunteered his personal laptop for her to use, but Cara had refused outright; knowing, with the tools and connections at his disposal, she had no doubts CJ would wreak havoc given the chance, and she didn’t want to run the risk of exposing any of Victor’s personal data to the rest of the world against his will.

“If you think it’s that important, I guess we can find something.” Sam sighed, shaking his head sadly as he tucked a roll of cash into her palm once they’d landed, considering sadly how much his stack of money had diminished since the night before.

“Thank you, Sam.” Cara felt awful having to ask for it, but when she’d made the exchange with CJ’s goons, she’d lost everything, including her prized possession, a powerful, top-of-the-line laptop she’d hand-picked and customized to the last detail; she’d loved it more than anything she’d ever owned, and it hurt her stomach to think about what CJ’s men had probably done with it. “I promise I’ll pay you back, once this is all over.”

“Nah, you don’t have to do that.” Sam smiled reassuringly, knowing she was feeling guilty just by the look on her face. “I needed a new computer anyways, this just gives me an excuse to buy one.”

“Still... It’s the least I can do, after what’s happened.” She answered honestly; they were finally climbing off the plane to re-fuel, and Cara had never been so happy to have her feet on solid ground again, and the thought that she was going to have to get right back on that plane again, soon, was utterly panic-inducing. All three sat on the tarmac for a moment of awkward silence before Sullivan broke the momentary silence with a question.

“Sam, you think you can handle fueling up the plane while Carolina and I take care of the computer problem?” Victor asked, and Cara felt her stomach tighten up again for a completely different reason from before.

“Uh-” Sam looked surprised, and a little guilty at the idea, knowing what Sullivan was already planning. “S-sure, I- I guess.” Victor tossed Sam the keys, then turned back to face Cara, motioning for her to walk with him as they looked around for the cab Victor had called before getting off the plane. Cara took a slow, deep breath; she should have known this conversation was coming from the beginning, the way she and Sam had been carrying on like teenagers in front of him the night before, but she’d hoped, in the danger of the moment, that Victor might have forgotten about their transgressions. Victor only broke the silence once they were safely out of earshot of Sam and still waiting for the cab, before finally clearing his throat.

“Kiddo, are you holding up alright?” Victor’s eyes were kind, even despite the roughness of the rest of his demeanor as he asked her, and Cara couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent this much time with him since she was a teenager. “There’s been a lot that’s happened to you in the last couple days, and it hasn’t exactly been easy...” He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite get the words out. Having no patience for his tip-toeing, Cara answered flatly,

“Of course I’m not ok, Victor.” She motioned around her, “After all this, who would be?” Cara kept her eyes fixed on the road in front of them,when she finally addressed the tension she knew she wasn’t imagining. “Stop coddling me. You obviously have something on your mind. Are we going to talk about it, or not?” Sullivan scowled, his eyebrows drawing together angrily as he sighed, finally speaking frankly.

“I told Sam to leave you alone... But then he went and did the exact opposite of that, and made everything worse-” He dropped off mid-rant at the look on Cara’s face; she wasn’t in the mood to take any bullshit, and the second he’d placed blame on Sam, Cara was ready to fight back.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Fuck, I should have known you two were talking about me behind my back last night!” Her hands were practically shaking with anger as she clenched them into fists, eyes still fixed forward. “What the fuck?!”

“Well, what was I supposed to do? Just sit by and let Sam do whatever he wants with you, and then leave, like he does with every other woman I’ve ever seen him with?” Sullivan sounded incredulous, as if he were perfectly justified as he looked back at her like a disapproving parent.

“For your information, Sam has always acted with nothing but respect toward me, and besides-” Her cheeks flushed profusely as she spoke this time, “I shouldn’t have to have justify myself to you!” Victor looked slightly offended, but Cara couldn’t bring herself to give a damn anymore.

“He’s old enough to be your father, Carolina...” Sullivan said, as if it wasn’t something she was already fully aware of. “Can’t you see it isn’t a good idea, getting involved with someone that much older than you?!” She laughed sarcastically, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly at the question before answering venomously.

“Victor, just because you’ve known me since I was a child, doesn’t mean I still am one.” Cara told him icily, “I am an adult, and who I choose to sleep with is my business, and no one else’s. If you have an opinion, then keep it to yourself, because I don’t want to hear it.” For a moment, Victor looked like he was going to retort, but when he opened his mouth, the taxi finally arrived, stopping the tense moment before things got any more hostile. Victor shook his head, knowing there was no use in fighting her about it anymore as she swung the door open hastily, climbing into the back of the cab without another word. Well, that went well... Victor couldn’t help but think bitterly as he followed her lead.

 

***

 

Victor and Cara spent the rest of their shopping trip in relative silence; she could tell he was sulking, after what had been said between them, but Cara refused to feel guilty for defending her decisions, even if she did deliver her opinion rather coarsely. They made their way to the electronics department of the store they’d found hurriedly, not bothering to consult a sales associate as Cara browsed mere moments before landing on a machine she deemed the right one, practically demanding the poor sales person to get her the laptop, rolling her eyes in answer when they asked if she had any questions about it.

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” Was all she managed to grind out between her teeth. When they were finally checking out, Cara clutching the new laptop box in her hands as if it were a lifeline, Sullivan stubbornly mumbled something, just loud enough for her to hear.

“I’m sorry, Kiddo. You know I’m just worried about you, right?” She could see the concerned, defeated smile on his face when he admitted it, “After all we’ve seen together, I’m not gonna question your decisions, I just want you to do whatever works best for you.” He seemed to hesitate a moment before adding, “Forget about appeasing anybody else, you’re the most important person in your life... I just make sure you don’t forget that.” Unsure of what to say, Cara had to force herself to respond,

“Uh- Th-Thank you, Victor.” Cara smiled a small look of gratitude back at him as the cashier motioned for them to move to check out. Thankful for the segue, Cara walked to the till brusquely, with Victor on her heels, anxious to conclude their business and get back to the plane immediately. She couldn’t help but worry for Sam, who’d been left alone to take care of fueling their getaway without any means of communication with them, were things to go south. She just hoped everything was still going alright without them. “Where’s the nearest free WiFi hotspot?” Cara asked the cashier anxiously as she handed Cara the receipt,

“I think there’s a restaurant next door?” The young cashier replied, sounding unsure. “There’s guest WiFi here in the store, too, but I have to ask the manager for the password...” She laughed nervously; Cara ignored the comment, motioning for Victor to follow her as she immediately stalked toward the store’s exit, still clutching the laptop tight.

“Public WiFi is going to help us, in the long run...” She mumbled, only semi-confident of the fact as she reviewed the old routine in her head that she used to use when she was working to obscure her identity when utilizing public wireless connections over and over again; her heart rate racing by the time they’d crossed the street, over the threshold of the fast food joint.

“I’m gonna get some coffee...” Victor motioned toward the counter, while Cara plunked herself down at one of the greasy booths in the back corner of the restaurant. “You want anything?” She only thought about it for a half a second before remembering they were due to be airborne again as soon as possible, shaking her head no; she hated flying, even more so when she had a full stomach. Getting sick was the last thing she wanted to add to the list of bad things that had already happened to her that day.

“I’m alright, thanks.” She replied quickly, tearing into the packaging for the laptop unceremoniously until she’d shorn it of all its protective layers, finally setting the sleek machine on the greasy table without preamble.

It took her almost ten minutes to set up the machine from its most basic out-of-the-box procedures, her fingers drumming against the tabletop next to the computer impatiently as she waited for the Operating System to configure itself at a snail’s pace.

“Almost ready, there?” Victor motioned for the laptop with his cup of coffee in hand when he finally re-joined her, the PC alternating between colorful splash pages as it continued it’s slow crawl toward a usable state.

“Not yet.” Cara replied grumpily, continuing to rhythmically tap her fingers against the surface of the table, a bad habit she’d developed in her hacking days that seemed to be re-appearing quickly. “Should be soon, though.” She breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed the machine finally beginning to boot into the desktop for the first time. “I just need to reach out to Naomi, let her know what’s going on. From there, she’ll be able to help us out, then...” She shrugged, wishing she had a more definitive plan than that.

“You’re sure your communications won’t be picked up, somehow?” Victor asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically at Cara’s nonchalance.

“Not unless CJ can read minds, which would be a new skill, for him.” Cara responded, wishing she felt as confident as she sounded. Naomi and her had been the only two to ever know this system of communication existed, but knowing what was possible to be hacked these days, she felt less and less confident in her decision by the second. “As far as I’m aware, Naomi is the only other person who’s ever accessed this server.” He seemed to relax some, appeased by her answer, but Cara said a prayer nonetheless as she started cycling through security settings, spoofing her hardware IDs, then hiding her location behind a proxy server, she finally loaded up her file-storage utility, logging into a server she’d managed to hide in the code of a false 404 page Cara had set up on her personal server years before, glad to see the link still existed after all this time. She downloaded a launcher she’d left for herself and installed the application as quickly as she could, her stomach tightening as she felt the familiar pressure forming in around her.

“You think we’ll be here much longer? I don’t like being stationary this long.” Victor pressed her anxiously.

“If she doesn’t answer me, then we leave it at that.” Cara answered with bated breath, finally inhaling again when the program launched, the command-line interface jumping to the forefront of her screen. “If she does, then we’ll only be here long enough to get the message across.”

“That sounds reassuring.” Victor retorted shortly, causing Cara to roll her eyes yet again. Without a second thought, Cara started typing her message, hoping desperately that Naomi would follow her train of thought and check the messaging system neither woman had used in so long.

 

>>CMOR_LINA [3:55PM]: sos

>>CMOR_LINA [3:55PM]: need help, pls respond

 

A few minutes passed without any response, and Cara could feel her stomach tightening, the real and honest fear that Naomi wasn’t going to make the connection seizing her like a vice, until her heart leapt into her throat when she saw the tiny symbols appearing that indicated someone was typing a response on the other end.

 

>>NOW-ME [3:57PM]: cara what the fuck is going on?

>>NOW-ME [3:57PM]: i thought you left this morning???

>>NOW-ME [3:58PM]: i’ve been calling non-stop, but i get voicemail every time

>>NOW-ME [3:58PM]: answer your damn phone!

 

It took Cara a moment to think of the right way to answer her friend, who seemed understandably frustrated.

 

>>CMOR_LINA [4:00PM]: shit went down

>>CMOR_LINA [4:01PM]: phone was being tracked so i trashed it

>>CMOR_LINA [4:01PM]: long story short, CJ is the leak. he’s stalking me again. confirmed it last night.

 

Cara half-feared her friend wouldn’t believe her, knowing Naomi had lived with Cara through the initial break-up and the ugly fallout that had happened as a result, though it had been years since it had happened.

 

>>NOW-ME [4:03PM]: fuuuuuuuck... of course he is

>>NOW-ME [4:04PM]: well, what can i do to help?

>>NOW-ME [4:04PM]: where are u right now?

>>NOW-ME [4:05PM]: are u safe?

 

The questions were coming rapidly now, and Cara breathed a sigh of relief knowing her friend believed her without question, and was immediately willing to help. She had to think for a moment before responding, realizing she hadn’t thought this far ahead, and that she really had no idea what they were going to do in order to rid themselves of the problem. Cara bit her lip, finally typing back an answer to at least one of Naomi’s questions.

 

>>CMOR_LINA [4:07PM]: safe for now

>>CMOR_LINA [4:07PM]: fueling up to leave town again atm

>>CMOR_LINA [4:07PM]: i’m traveling with my friends from last night

>>CMOR_LINA [4:07PM]: i know i can trust them

>>NOW-ME [4:08PM]: that’s not exactly reassuring, you know...

>>NOW-ME [4:08PM]: but i’m glad you’re safe

>>NOW-ME [4:09PM]: seriously tho

>>NOW-ME [4:09PM]: game plan?

 

Cara bit her lip, staring at the characters flashing on the screen as Victor sipped at his hot coffee from across the table.

“How’s it going?” He asked, his eyebrows drawing together when she shrugged instead of giving a definitive answer.

“Naomi’s here... I still don’t exactly have a plan, though.” Cara sighed, wishing she knew what to do.

“Can she dig up anything useful on this prick ex of yours?” Sullivan asked, making a face Cara couldn’t quite define when he described CJ.

“I guess it’s a place to start.” Cara admitted, quickly tapping her response into the computer program.

 

>>CMOR_LINA [4:12PM]: not really sure yet

>>CMOR_LINA [4:12PM]: for now, maybe reach out to the old community?

>>CMOR_LINA [4:13PM]: dig up anything on the bastard you can- address, phone number, ip, hardware addresses... anything you can get your hands on that might end up useful later

>>NOW-ME [4:14PM]: can do

>>NOW-ME [4:14PM]: it’s been a while, but i think i’ve still got a favor or two to cash in.

>>NOW-ME [4:15PM]: when will i hear from you next?

>>CMOR_LINA [4:15PM]: i’ll check in next time we’re safe to talk

>>CMOR_LINA [4:15PM]: might be a day or two

>>CMOR_LINA [4:16PM]: i’ll call you as soon as i have access to a burner i know is safe

>>NOW-ME [4:16PM]: alright

>>NOW-ME [4:16PM]: be careful, cara. you know i love you

>>CMOR_LINA[4:17]: love you too

 

With that, she logged off, feeling upset that she had to sever their communications so quickly; Naomi had been her friend for well over a decade now, and she’d been slightly less entrenched in the community Cara had found herself bound to early on, able to stay on the fringe without being overwhelmed by it, and Cara had always envied her for Naomi’s ability to keep her work and home lives separate. While Cara’s life revolved around chaos and passion, Naomi’s seemed to gravitate toward order and control, and it was something Cara had always felt a longing for that she knew she could never obtain. She felt awful thrusting her friend back into the world they’d work so hard to sever ties with, but she also knew, if there was any dirt to be found on CJ, that Naomi would be the one to find it, unequivocally.

“Alright, we’re done, here.” Cara swept the laptop under her arm quickly as her fingers would allow, leaving the packaging sprawled out on the dirty tabletop; she motioned for Sullivan to follow her back out into the parking lot with a grim sigh, “We’d better get back, soon.”

“Sam should be done fueling up, by now.” Victor replied, his mouth tightening slightly with unspoken concern. So long as nothing’s gone wrong, Cara could practically hear him thinking out loud. “You ready to get back in the air again?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, anyway.” She shrugged, trying not to look as nervous as she felt on the inside. It was going to be a long day.

 

***


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam ran a hand through his hair before lighting another cigarette anxiously as he watched Victor and Cara walk away side-by-side; after his confrontation with Sullivan that morning, Sam had zero doubts what they were going to be talking about, and his heart was still hammering in his chest at the idea of Cara telling Victor exactly what had happened. From what he’d seen, Cara seemed to swing to two extreme ends of the spectrum, either confident and cocky, or anxious and panic-ridden, and he didn’t have any idea how she’d react to Victor’s invasive questioning after what they’d already been through that day. He couldn’t get his mind off what he’d seen earlier, the way Cara’s reaction to the thugs that had chased them had been volatile, and Sam knew they had to be the ones that put their hands on her. His own hands shook slightly in anger as he flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette, drawing another long breath from it before flicking it onto the tarmac and grinding it out with his boot...

Sam ran a hand through his hair before lighting another cigarette anxiously as he watched Victor and Cara walk away side-by-side; after his confrontation with Sullivan that morning, Sam had zero doubts what they were going to be talking about, and his heart was still hammering in his chest at the idea of Cara telling Victor exactly what had happened. From what he’d seen, Cara seemed to swing to two extreme ends of the spectrum, either confident and cocky, or anxious and panic-ridden, and he didn’t have any idea how she’d react to Victor’s invasive questioning after what they’d already been through that day. He couldn’t get his mind off what he’d seen earlier, the way Cara’s reaction to the thugs that had chased them had been volatile, and Sam knew they had to be the ones that put their hands on her. His own hands shook slightly in anger as he flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette, drawing another long breath from it before flicking it onto the tarmac and grinding it out with his boot. He stepped back into the plane, rummaging around the cabin in search of something to patch up the hole in the floor; his hands searched blindly through one of the storage compartments near the rear of the plane, fingers closing around the cross-hatched grip of a semi-automatic pistol he knew Sullivan kept strapped to the bottom panel, Sam slipped the gun out carefully, ejecting the clip to check whether or not it was loaded. He couldn’t suppress the small smile, thinking, of course he would keep it loaded, though there wasn’t one in the chamber, and the safety was still fully engaged. Sam tucked the gun into the back of his pants carefully, then returned to the storage compartment, fumbling around until he finally felt the roll of duct tape, and he sighed in relief. After hearing about Cara’s fear of flying, and seeing the way she’d been unnerved at the damage to their getaway vehicle, Sam had wanted to do something to help her, but he hadn’t dared do anything until they were safely on the ground again. Sam stopped in his tracks, crouched down with a strip of tape smoothed over the hole in the floor with the realisation that he was thinking about Cara far more than he’d ever thought about any other one night stand he’d ever had before, though he countered that thought, thinking, if she weren’t in trouble, you wouldn’t care. You always were a bleeding heart for a pretty face, most especially one with a sob story. He shook his head as he tore another strip of tape, doubling up the width of the patch, then smoothed it over with his hands again. Sam groaned as he stood, moving back out onto the pavement again as he searched over the outside of the plane, finally locating the small puncture and patching it just as he’d done to the other side. No matter how her conversation with Sullivan went, Sam felt at least a little better knowing she wouldn’t stress about being able to see the ground through a hole in the floor of the plane; it was small comfort, all things considered, but he hoped it would help, nonetheless. He shook his head, trying to convince himself that he could stop thinking about her any time he wanted to, and wishing he actually believed it.

 

***

 

By the time Sullivan and Cara made it back to the plane, Sam had finished refueling, and was sitting in the cockpit with his feet up, his eyes closed as he snoozed lightly. Cara’s stomach tightened when she saw the butt of the gun he had tucked into the front of his pants, peeking out from underneath his shirt at the angle he was laying, as Sam’s eyes snapped open, immediately awake when Victor knocked on the metal frame of the plane’s door, announcing their presence. Victor cleared his throat loudly, and Sam jerked awake, immediately reaching for the pistol, but relaxing when he realized it was just them.

“All set?” Sam asked, yawning slightly as he tried to wake himself up, the lack of sleep noticeably starting to take its toll.

“We made contact with Naomi, at least.” Cara replied, shrugging, still unsure whether or not it would really produce anything useful. “Where that’s going to lead us, I have no idea... But at least we did it.”

“I noticed you patched up the hole in my plane...” Victor smiled, amused, “Did you get ‘er all fueled up, too?”

“Done and done.” Sam replied, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his hands, and Cara couldn’t help but notice the wrinkles growing more and more pronounced with how tired he appeared. “No trouble to report on my end.”

“Us either, thankfully.” Cara answered, looking none too pleased to be climbing back into the small airplane for the second time that day. Sam looked relieved despite her uneasy expression, taking it as a good sign that she either hadn’t fallen to pieces under Victor’s strenuous questioning, or he’d taken it easy on her; either way, Sam was glad to see she didn’t seem upset.

“So, where exactly are we going to head from here?” Victor broke Sam’s train of thought gruffly, “We can’t exactly just show up on Nate and Elena’s doorstep... Wouldn’t that be the first place this guy’s gonna look for you two?”

“Where does Nate even live nowadays?” Cara asked, praying her cheeks weren’t reddening out of embarrassment when she remembered her last embarrassing, desperate interaction with the younger Drake brother. “I’m a little worried we might be heading straight into CJ’s territory, if it’s anywhere near the Valley.”

“Nathan’s family lives near LA,” Sam answered her calmly, smiling as he tried to sound reassuring, “If that asshole’s still in the Valley, we’ll be a few hundred miles away, at least.” Sam seemed satisfied at the idea, but Cara couldn’t let her guard down so easily.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean his thugs won’t show up.” Cara countered, fear still wrapped tightly around her every last nerve. “You saw all those guys with guns back there... Didn’t you say Nate’s got a family, now?” She could feel her heartbeat racing in her chest as she panicked, “What about them?! I am not willing to put them in danger, too, damn it!” Sam held his hands up in surrender, his expression dropping from the smile he had had to something more neutral when he saw how volatile her reaction was growing.

“I’m with Carolina on that, Sam.” Victor sighed, “We can’t put Nate, Elena and Cassie at risk. It’s just not an option. Not when we don’t know what we’re dealing with.” Sam was growing frustrated now, his brows pulling together when no one seemed willing to listen to him. He objected, turning in his seat to face Victor and Cara, he gestured pointedly.

“That’s exactly the reason I don’t want to be too far away! What happens when that psycho pulls some stupid display of power and decides to go after them, unprovoked?” Sam looked completely different now, every muscle tensed and on edge as he stared back at them, almost challenging Cara when he spoke. “Go on. Tell me it’s something he wouldn’t do, and we’ll find somewhere else to go.” Cara bit her lip, knowing he was probably right, after some of the things she’d seen CJ do in the past to people he loathed. She had no way to guarantee that CJ wouldn’t just flip on a dime, and she could see Sam’s point in thinking it would be better to stay nearby to make sure Nate and his family weren’t harmed in the crossfire. “You can’t, can you?” There was a new dimension in his voice, something protective, and feral, she hadn’t heard from him before as he sat, watching her defensively.

“No.” Cara finally answered, her eyes tilting down and away from his piercing amber stare. Victor sat in the pilot’s seat, bristling, as she admitted, “I can’t.” With that, Sam made the decision for them, not leaving any more room for discussion or debate.

“Then, it’s settled. We won’t make direct contact with Nathan unless we have to, but we’ll stay close enough to know whether or not they need to get out of there.”

Within fifteen minutes, Victor had obtained clearance, the airplane shaking slightly as it taxied down the old, cracked runway, and Cara had her eyes screwed shut tightly, taking slow breaths in and out through her nose. Honestly, all she wanted to do was to be able to fall asleep, stop her mind from reeling at the idea of what exactly was going to happen, if and when they ended up seeing Nate again; it was all she could think about when Sam had clearly made up his mind, replaying the scenario in her head, over and over again. She hadn’t talked to Nate in over six years, a testament to just how stupid she’d acted the last time they’d seen each other, as they’d actually been relatively good friends up until that point.

_When Nate met Elena, he’d drifted in and out of contact with her, and Cara had long since given up any hope of acting on the tiny crush she’d developed on him early on in their friendship. After all, she had been just a kid, a contact he liked to work with whenever he got the chance, and she was sure that was all he ever saw her as._

_The first time she heard Nate talk about Elena in person, he’d lit up like a kid on Christmas, and Cara wasn’t surprised to hear he’d married her a few years after she and Nate lost touch. As passionate as Nate was about treasure hunting and history, it was obvious he cared twice as much about Elena, and Cara had been caught by surprise when she’d heard about him breaking things off shortly after they started dating. To this day, Cara still felt awful about the way she’d wanted to take advantage of Nate’s obvious period of depression after his relationship with Elena fell apart, calling him up as soon as she’d heard, and asking him out for a drink to try to cheer him up. He’d agreed, and they’d ended up meeting the next weekend. They had a good time, but things got heated (in a bad way) once she’d had a little too much to drink and Cara sloppily confessed her feelings for him in the middle of the crowded bar... Nate had immediately seen through her stupid plan, gotten angry and walked out, leaving Cara alone and feeling terrible for throwing herself at him. The look of betrayal on his face, shaking his head at her as if she’d burned him with a brand, he turned on his heel and left without another word, without so much as looking back in her direction. They hadn’t spoken to each other since that night._

Truth be told, Cara barely remembered finding her way back to her hotel room that night, a clue as to just how intoxicated she’d gotten in an effort to gather the courage she was having difficulty mustering on her own. It had been so long since it had happened, yet Cara still couldn’t think about that night without cringing, feeling deeply embarrassed by her actions. She still felt guilty, even now, six years after the fact; she’d known full-well what she was doing was slimy, and Nate had more or less called her out on it, choosing to cut ties with her completely instead of actually having to talk about it.

Cara grasped at her seat tightly when the plane started to shudder as they took off again, the same feeling of her stomach dropping out as they bounced around before lifting off the ground. She could feel Sam’s eyes on her again, although this time he made no move to reassure her, or sit by her, and she couldn’t help but feel even more uneasy. What happens when I see Nate again? She asked herself, shaking her head subconsciously, What happens if Sam finds out I had feelings for Nate before sleeping with him, even if it was years ago... He’s going to think- She had to stop, because she honestly had no idea what he would think. Would he be hurt, or confused, thinking she was just using him to fulfill some childhood fantasy in Nate’s place? That, or he’d probably just write her off as desperate, and slutty, just like CJ had; the thought made her stomach churn even more, and Cara wished she were anywhere but the tiny enclosed space, three feet away from him right now. When they’d finally leveled out in the air once more, Cara repositioned, trying to find a comfortable way to sleep, but it was proving difficult with the plane’s stiff, immovable seat, and she was quickly growing more and more frustrated.

“You alright back there, kid?” Victor asked, hearing her agitated shifting around from behind him, and Cara wished he hadn’t said anything.

“I’m fine, just can’t get comfortable.” She replied, trying not to make a face when she leaned the wrong way on her shoulder against the wall next to her, dull pain blossoming from her shoulder blade.

“You need any extra cushioning, or anything?” Sam asked, finally glancing back at her for the first time since they’d argued; she could tell he was trying to be discreet, but the look of concern on his face couldn’t have been more obvious. “Those seats can be pretty hard to sleep in.”

“I’ll- uh, I’ll be alright, don’t worry about it.” Cara waved him off, folding her arms over her chest as she leaned back gingerly, closing her eyes to try to hide the fact that it did actually hurt, but she was stubborn, and didn’t want to admit it to him. Sam could see through her placations just as clearly, pulling off his jacket despite her protests, he passed it back to her, refusing to take ‘no’ as an answer.

“There, just use that to sleep on.” He told her, ignoring Sullivan’s judgmental sidewards glance. Once she accepted it, Sam leaned a little further back in his chair, settling his arms behind his head to resume napping as he’d been doing before. “You’ve got this handled for now, right, Victor?”

“Yeah, yeah...” Sullivan responded with a scowl, his voice still sounding slightly angry and disapproving, knowing exactly why neither of the two of them had slept much the night before. “You get some rest, I’ll let you know if I need a hand.”

Cara folded Sam’s jacket a few times, carefully, pushing it between her shoulder and the wall to use as a pillow; she hated to admit how much more comfortable it was with the extra little bit of softness against her sore shoulder, and the familiar smell of Sam’s cologne mixed with his brand of cigarettes made her head feel just a little fuzzy... As she sat on the very edge between dreaming and consciousness, Cara couldn’t help but think of the brief moment of peace she’d had, of sleeping with her cheek settled against his warm, steadily rising and falling chest, practically drinking in what little details she could recall of the way he’d felt lying beneath her. She felt a pang of sadness in her chest when she realized it was something she would probably never experience again, especially not once he found out about her embarrassing history with Nathan. Not to mention whatever ended up shaking out with CJ.. Cara took another deep, steadying breath, feeling herself finally beginning to drift off. Resigned to the fact that she had too many damned problems, Cara gave in and allowed her sleepy mind to float back to the same thoughts of Sam, and his tiny displays of affection, wishing desperately that they were still be lying in bed, cradling her head against his chest with his fingertips tracing soft patterns against her scalp, even if she knew it was foolish.

 

***

 

Cara felt as if they’d walked across the country instead of flew by the time they’d finally stopped traveling again; it had proven more difficult than she’d expected to find accommodations that would allow them to pay cash under the table. It was just barely past 5 o’clock, what with the changes in time zones since they’d left that morning, but lingering exhaustion hung heavily over them as Cara found herself cooped up in the tiny hotel room with Sam and Victor, tense quiet having fallen as soon as they’d settled, and no one seemed eager to be the first one to speak.

“I think I need a drink.” Sam was finally the first to break the silence, standing and stretching before he reached into the tiny hotel refrigerator, but Victor cleared his throat, stopping Sam just as quickly.

“That shit’s gonna cost us a fortune, Sam!” He frowned disapprovingly. “There’s a gas station a block away... Go get something there.”

“That involves walking.” Sam objected, pouting slightly. “This stuff’s right here.”

“I could use a walk around the block to stretch my legs.” Cara sighed, stretching her arms above her head. “We’ve been sitting still all day. Plus, I want booze.”

“I thought you were going to check to see if Naomi had found anything yet?” Victor asked, his brows coming together at Cara’s apparent desire to be alone with Sam. The younger of the two men looked hesitant at Victor’s reaction, but Cara stood her ground, refusing to care what Victor thought her motivations might be, anymore.

“That can wait the twenty minutes it’ll take us to walk to the store and back.” Cara answered calmly. “I need to get up and walk around a little. Besides, I’ve been out of cigarettes all day. I can’t keep bumming Sam’s, he’s got to be getting low, too.” Victor scowled, knowing she was challenging him indirectly.

“You sure you’re not running any risks, walking out in the open like this, are you?”

“You’re the one who just suggested Sam go around the block in the first place.” Cara pointed out, knowing Victor was merely grasping for reasons for her not to leave, now. “He won’t know where we are unless someone’s still using their cell phone, or CJ just happens to have somebody watching for us in this exact area...” She shrugged, “Pretty slim chances, in my opinion.”

“She’s not going alone... I’ll be with her. And we aren’t going empty-handed.” Sam answered, sounding a little more confident, now; it was no secret to any of them that he’d been carrying Victor’s pistol in the waist of his pants since the moment he’d found it on the plane. It made Cara feel both infinitely safer, and terrified that he thought it necessary, at the same time.

“Just make it quick, then.” Victor sighed resignedly, “And please, be careful.” She smiled at him gently, trying to look reassuring as Sam opened the door, holding it for Cara to walk in front of him. They took the back exit through the hotel, Cara leading, merely by coincidence as she honestly had no idea where they were going, but Sam seemed content enough to follow her slowly, with an anxious look on his face.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Sam asked, passing Cara a cigarette and his lighter without asking, the moment they were outside on the sidewalk. He’d already lit his and drawn a breath by the time she froze, not sure of what his question would be about, but worried nonetheless. Relenting, Cara nodded, and Sam bit his lip thoughtfully before speaking again, “Those guys who were after us this morning...” She flinched involuntarily before catching herself, just enough for him to see it, and Cara wished with all her being she could have repressed it completely. “Were any of them the ones that hurt you?” She barely managed to glance at his face before she had to look away again; that same concerned, protective expression, like she was some poor, forlorn and broken artifact to be repaired and safe-guarded... Cara couldn’t stand for Sam to look at her like that, not after everything she’d put him through, already. She tried to ignore the way her eyes clouded when she nodded, forcing herself to stare him in the eyes when she took a drag from her cigarette, as her hands shook against her will.

“The biggest one. He acted as CJ’s mouthpiece for the exchange.” She exhaled through her nose as she continued, trying not to betray just how shaken the whole experience had left her, “CJ must’ve told him to send a message, because he got violent when I didn’t do what he said, and that was after he already had the payout in hand.” Sam’s face had gone blank, unreadable as he processed her words, and Cara wished he’d say something, anything, instead of just walking next to her in silence. When he finally spoke again, she somehow felt worse, regretting having answered him after all.

“That fucking prick- ‘Fucking knew I should’a stuck around a little longer, given what he deserved before we took off!” She knew he was just being bitter, there was no way any of them would have walked away from it alive, trying to take on the group of armed thugs with no way to defend themselves.

“Sam. We did the right thing, getting out of there.” Cara shook her head, speaking frankly. “One stupid moment of revenge is not worth risking anyone’s safety, alright?” Sam looked angry, but he didn’t challenge her, his eyes fixed forward as they kept walking. He seemed lost in thought for a moment, before speaking again, concern and honest fear making their way into the edges of his voice.

“So, uh... When do you think it’ll be safe to reach out to Nathan?” He’d seemed preoccupied for most of the trip, and Cara realized she hadn’t really heard him speak up much since the realization had hit home that Nate and his family really could be in serious danger because of them. “I don’t like leaving him in the dark like this. I wish we could, at least, y’know, warn him somehow.” She shook her head, still not sure of an answer for him, and hoping he hadn’t noticed the way she’d paled when he talked about his brother.

“I know what you mean.” Cara said, biting her lip as she thought, “Maybe one of us can tail him somehow, check to make sure they’re safe.”

“We’d get noticed, immediately. Isn’t that exactly what we’re trying to avoid?” Sam raised an eyebrow in challenge. “That sounds too risky-”

“What about Victor?” Cara asked, “CJ doesn’t know Victor’s involved in this, yet. He could go warn Nate and Elena without looking suspicious.”

“You really don’t think he’s connected Victor to us, by now?” Sam shot back, hotly, “I’ve been his business partner for the last two years, and you’re practically his goddamn daughter, by the way he talks about you! There’s no way other people in the business haven’t noticed it after all these years.” His voice had risen to a shout, coming out harsher than he’d intended; Sam scolded himself inwardly when he realized she was shrinking away from him just slightly.

“I’ve been in the business for just as long as you two’ve been working together.” Cara answered defensively, scowling at the way he was watching her, “Besides, there weren’t a lot of people who knew both of us at the same time. I was too young to have made a name for myself. By the time I’d gotten a reputation, we’d fallen out of touch.” Sam didn’t seem reassured by her answer.

“What about when you were dating CJ, huh?” Sam asked, voice going sharp again against his better judgment, he bobbed his head as he drew another deep breath from his cigarette. “He ever meet Victor, or see him around you?” The way she remained silent, avoiding his gaze was enough of an answer for him.

“Fuck. You really don’t think he’d notice that?” Sam said, his mouth moving faster than his brain as he tossed his cigarette butt to the ground and ground it out under his heel. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Sweetheart...” He ran a hand through his thinning hair, as he apologized, feeling like a monster, the way she couldn’t look back at him. “I’m not- I’m not trying to accuse you of doing anything wrong-” He felt like an asshole, hearing the words that had run out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Christ, you were just being a kid, living your life...” He couldn’t stop the constant stream of thought in his head, wishing she’d look at him, but she still seemed completely withdrawn, defending herself. “You had no way of knowing he’d turn out to be some kind of psychotic stalker.” Sweetheart, I’m so sorry you have to go through with all this. He wanted to say it, but his voice seemed to die in his throat when they finally reached the convenience store, crossing through the glass and aluminum doors in a deafening silence. Sam and Cara made their way to the liquor isle slowly, avoiding as many security cameras as they could without looking suspicious. Sam couldn’t help the way his insides kept stewing when Cara still to refuse to look at him, the longer they spent looking at the small selection of alcohol that stood around them; he quickly slipped a six-pack of beer off the shelf next to him, following Cara while she stared down the aisle absently, he half-wondered whether or not she was even paying attention to their surroundings at all. She stopped when she finally saw what she had apparently been searching for, Cara snatched a bottle of terrible, cheap vodka off the shelf, then, turning on her heel without warning, she walked to the refrigerated cases that lined the back wall of the store and grabbed an armful of energy drinks.

“Do you need any help, there?” Sam asked, breaking the silence with a small smile as he watched her carry the cans and bottle of liquor against her chest awkwardly.

“Nope.” Cara answered, almost in challenge.

“Was there anything else?” Sam asked, as they made their way toward the checkout counter; Cara’s hand shot out instantly when she walked past a display selling cheap, disposable cell phones with limited amounts of minutes, and Sam nodded, still in disbelief as he marveled at just how easy it was to obtain a phone these days.

“Is that alright?” Cara asked, relaxing some when he motioned for her to set it on the counter with a small smile.

“Was that everything we needed?” Sam looked at her, unable to keep the amusement off his face, he felt relieved to see her acting a little more like herself.

“Just smokes.” She answered as she hefted the handful of drink cans and the bottle of cheap vodka onto the table in front of her next to the carton of beer Sam had set down carefully before pointing for her favorite brand of cigarettes, she also slammed a lighter on the counter at the last second, a black and white lighter with a band logo on it that Sam didn’t recognize. He’d never really been that into popular music. “After that, I’m good.”

“I guess that’s it, then.” Sam tried to look normal, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as he handed the cashier a few crumpled bills, accepted the change, then grabbed the plastic grocery sacks off the counter awkwardly. Finally, he and Cara started to make their way back to the hotel, and Sam couldn’t have been more ready to get back indoors, to the safety of their room.

“Thanks.” Cara told him as she dug through the bag that hung at her wrist, fingers closing quickly around the pack of cigarettes and lighter, she tore into the wrapper almost reverently; she couldn’t remember the last time she’d craved her own brand so much, after only having run out less than a day ago. Sam had been a gentlemen, offering her cigarettes from his own pack since the moment she’d run out, but by now, Cara could only associate the taste with stress and with Sam, and while she couldn’t complain about the latter, she had been dying to smoke her own cigarettes all day.

“Hey,” Sam interrupted her thoughts as she flicked the flint on her new lighter, catching the end of her cigarette with the small flame, “I’m- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up like that.” Cara could hear the nerves in his voice, and she couldn’t help her stomach from dropping at the sound. He sighed, and her expression softened slightly as she finally turned her head to look at him, Sam’s heart thudding heavily in his chest, he felt like he’d finally remembered to breathe again. _Fuck, this girl is trouble_ , he pushed the thought away as quickly as he could. She was just as frustrated as he was at the situation. “You’ve been distant all day... Between Victor’s interrogation, and those thugs this morning, and me, being a fucking asshole, I just-” He hesitated, realizing what he was saying still didn’t sound right. “Wanted to make sure you’re holding up alright, I guess.”

“I’m alright, it’s just been a long day.” Cara raised her hands, almost in surrender, the lighter grasped tightly in one of her fists, while the other held her pack of cigarettes. “I’m just... stressed, and out of it.” She wasn’t sure how she should be looking, right now, if she was being honest. “Victor was just being-” Cara hesitated, “Well, protective, and nosy, but he backed off when I called him out on it.” Sam seemed to deflate slightly, but her pulse quickened at the small smile playing on his lips when he heard she didn’t take any of Victor’s guilt-ridden bullshit. “And you- you’re worried about Nate. I get that, and if I’m telling the truth, I’m worried, too.” But for far more selfish reasons... Cara thought bitterly as she reassured him, glad Sam had finally stopped looking like someone had kicked his favorite puppy. “I think you’re right. We need to get a message to him, soon.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Sam nodded, joining her in smoking another cigarette as they walked next to each other, just slightly more at ease than they’d been before. “But I’m still at a loss as to how.”

“I still think Victor’s our best bet for people in our immediate circle.” Cara answered, anticipating the sour look on Sam’s face. “I know, but-”

“I still think he’s going to be too easy to place.” Sam interrupted, and Cara knew he was right, but continued fighting, nonetheless.

“Well-” Cara gestured with the cigarette in her hand as she flicked ash off the end of it. “Unless you want to get yet more people involved in this giant mess, I’m out of ideas.” Sam’s mouth clamped shut, smoke pluming from his nostrils as he digested what she said.

“We’ll talk it out with Victor when we get back. If he thinks it’s too risky, we’ll come up with something else. If not, then Victor will go scout and let us know what’s going on while we try to figure out where to go from here.”

Cara sighed as they finally reached the hotel again, depositing their cigarette filters into the bin outside the door, she wished she had any idea what was going to happen from here; there were so many unknowns at the moment, and she couldn’t help the tightness in her chest, knowing CJ hadn’t made any attempts to contact her in over 12 hours. In her experience with him, he was practically due to try to contact her soon. He had always been predictable like that, one of his few flaws when it came to his work, and it was something she had always been able to rely on in the past. From their experience that morning, it was clear CJ was no longer in the mood to play games, and he really wanted Sam dead. Whether or not he wanted her dead, was still up for debate. After he’d said that CJ had wanted to use her demise to rebuild her back to her former position on the hacking team, ‘inviting her back into the fold’ as he’d described it, she had no idea if sleeping with Sam would make CJ mad enough to go from obsessively stalking her to wanting her dead, too. She honestly dreaded the walk back to their room, no longer able to rely on smoking as a nervous stimulation she could use to distract herself, she was feeling worse and worse until she felt the heft of the energy drink cans hitting each other as they climbed the stairs, she sighed with relief when she remembered she’d bought alcohol and caffeine, too, thankful she would at least have something to sink her anxiety into. Sam opened the door to their room for her, beckoning her back into the safe anonymity of their hotel room, he seemed to be breathing easier now that they weren’t out in the open again.

“Welcome back.” Victor greeted; he was sitting at the wooden desk in the corner of the room, reading a newspaper he’d purchased in the lobby while he waited for them. “Anything eventful happen?”

“Nah.” Sam replied, setting his 6-Pack on the dresser and slipping two from their individual cubicles. Victor accepted Sam’s offering with a nod, immediately twisting off the lid and taking a deep gulp of the cold beer. “Nothing to report, here.”

“Then I think it’s high time you checked in with your friend, Carolina.” She flinched involuntarily at the use of the old name, still not sure why she felt the pit of her stomach drop out at the thought of contacting Naomi.

“Give me five minutes, and then I’ll do it.” She dropped her shopping bag on top of the dresser next to Sam’s drinks with a loud thud, before walking brusquely into the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

“You sure nothing happened?” Victor asked Sam, one eyebrow raised skeptically. Sam was staring at the door, a look of confusion on his face.

“We may have gotten into a shouting match, but she didn’t seem upset by the time we’d made it back...” Sam shook his head, twisting the cap off his own beer and taking a quick sip. He wished he knew why what Victor said had set her off, but he had a feeling she was now directly avoiding having to make contact with Naomi. He could see her reasons for being anxious, but it was really their only avenue to move forward; Sam wished she would realize she wasn’t in it alone.

Cara stood in front of the mirror, her hands shaking as she turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face, cursing herself for not knowing how to control her anxiety better than just completely shutting down in front of them like this. She just couldn’t handle the pressure, knowing, even now, that Nate and Elena could be in danger, and they had no discernible plan to speak of. Sure, Naomi could give them some information about CJ, maybe even a last known address, but what good would it do them? It wasn’t as if she, Victor and Sam were going to take on a full-frontal assault against someone as well-connected as CJ... She tried to take deep breaths, staring at the water still flowing down the sink with a hiss, as her fingers gripped the counter with white knuckles. Cara fought to take deeper breaths, trying to calm herself as she talked herself through what she and Sam had established during their walk to the store and back: they were going to talk to Sullivan about setting up a meeting with Nate, to warn him about the potential danger, that way he could at least get himself, Elena and their daughter away from any potential backlash... Whatever they did after that was secondary, at this point, so why am I still panicking so hard? Cara scolded herself, knowing the longer she took, the more the two men would start to worry about her, so she forced her limbs to move, scrubbing her face with the cold water once more before shutting off the faucet and walking slowly to the door. She stood in front of it for another minute, her forehead pressed against the cheap, painted material; she could hear Victor and Sam speaking in hushed tones, though she couldn’t make out their exact words. Cara sighed, finally pushing the door open again, she hoped she looked at least a little bit more collected than she had a few minutes before; Victor and Sam watched her carefully as she crossed the room, stopping to grab the bottle of vodka and one of the energy drink cans, she settled herself on the other side of the desk, opposite Victor, while Sam sat on one of the two beds facing the television that was providing such a minimal level of background noise, she hadn’t noticed it before.

“You alright, kiddo?” Victor asked, watching her as he sipped from his already half-empty beer.

“Oh, you know...” Cara shrugged, “Not really, but I’ll survive.” Sam’s head was turned to face her, not even pretending to be watching the TV anymore. It was clear he wanted to ask her something, but couldn’t find his voice to speak.

“Well, we’re, uh... We’re here for you, if you need anything.” Sam offered awkwardly, but Cara couldn’t quite look him in the eye.

 


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Cara winced as she swallowed a mouthful of the cheap vodka, chasing it quickly with a sip from the energy drink she’d opened, her fingers tapping against the surface of the desk as she waited for her computer to load her messaging application, feeling the burn of alcohol down her throat, all the way to her stomach. She could feel Sam and Victor watching her, Victor glancing at her occasionally from over top of his newspaper, and Sam was still staring at her unblinkingly, looking like he was trying to solve a puzzle with his eyebrows knitted together. Cara frowned, slightly surprised not to have any messages waiting in the queue for her, typing something quick in a test to see if Naomi was watching._
> 
> _> >CMOR_LINA [6:38PM]: friends are breathing down my neck, but i wanted to check in. you ok?_
> 
> _She had almost given up hope, looking away from the screen when no immediate reply arrived. Cara took another punishing gulp of liquor, washing it down with the sugary energy drink before she saw Naomi’s quickly written response flash on screen._
> 
> _> >NOW-ME [6:41PM]: did u find a phone?  
> >>NOW-ME [6:41PM]: call me  
> >>NOW-ME [6:42PM]: we need to talk_

Cara winced as she swallowed a mouthful of the cheap vodka, chasing it quickly with a sip from the energy drink she’d opened, her fingers tapping against the surface of the desk as she waited for her computer to load her messaging application, feeling the burn of alcohol down her throat, all the way to her stomach. She could feel Sam and Victor watching her, Victor glancing at her occasionally from over top of his newspaper, and Sam was still staring at her unblinkingly, looking like he was trying to solve a puzzle with his eyebrows knitted together. Cara frowned, slightly surprised not to have any messages waiting in the queue for her, typing something quick in a test to see if Naomi was watching.

>>CMOR_LINA [6:38PM]: friends are breathing down my neck, but i wanted to check in. you ok?

She had almost given up hope, looking away from the screen when no immediate reply arrived. Cara took another punishing gulp of liquor, washing it down with the sugary energy drink before she saw Naomi’s quickly written response flash on screen.

>>NOW-ME [6:41PM]: did u find a phone?  
>>NOW-ME [6:41PM]: call me  
>>NOW-ME [6:42PM]: we need to talk

Cara’s stomach felt cold and tight despite the alcohol running through her veins, and she wished she wasn’t dreading talking to her best friend. She sighed, turning away from the computer just in time to catch Sam forcing himself to stop staring at her.  
“Hey, Sam, can you toss me the phone?” Cara asked, trying to keep herself calm and even; Sam nodded, crossing over to the dresser where the plastic shopping bag still sat. She tore into the packaging as soon as he’d handed it to her, thankful when he passed her a pocket knife a few seconds later.  
“You picked up a new phone?” Victor asked, looking up from his newspaper again as she threw away the heavy plastic packaging.  
“Naomi wants me to call her. I’m just gonna go out here in the hall-” She slipped the door open, not waiting for Sam and Victor to object, Cara closed the door behind her quickly, punching Naomi’s phone number into the phone the second she’d confirmed it had been activated.  
The phone hadn’t rang more than twice before Naomi picked up, and Cara suddenly remembered to breathe again, realizing her chest was aching at how much she really did miss her friend.  
“Cara? Please tell me this is you-”  
“It’s me... Hey, Naomi.” The sigh of relief on the other end of the phone was audible.  
“Oh, thank God! Cara, where in the world are you?” Naomi asked, and Cara wished she couldn’t hear the barely-controlled fear and anger in the other woman’s voice. “I checked out a couple of our old haunts today, and some of the shit I was seeing... It- well, it isn’t good.”  
“How bad?” Cara asked, a little afraid to hear the answer,  
“CJ is even more pissed off than usual, it would appear. So, I’m guessing he caught you sleeping with one of these ‘friends’ you’ve told me so little about?” Naomi sounded slightly miffed that Cara hadn’t told her sooner, and the lack of a response on the other end of the line only confirmed her accusation.  
“Well, as usual, CJ’s a jealous ass, and he’s put up a fucking reward for information about where you are, and he’s pretty clearly advertising that he wants one, Mr. Samuel Drake, dead.” Cara could hear the hint of judgment in Naomi’s voice, and it made Cara feel that much worse. “To be fair, I did see a couple of his mugshots, and... why am I not surprised?” Naomi teased, and Cara could feel herself blushing scarlet.  
“ _Great_.” It was all she could really say in response, sarcastic as ever. “ _Just perfect...”_  
“That being said, I was able to get my hands on some info for you.” Naomi offered, earning a sigh of relief from Cara. “Oh, but before we go any further, please tell me it’s a coincidence that this guy’s last name is Drake, and that he isn’t related to that _other_ douchebag-” Cara practically got whiplash at the change in subject, again, “You used to have such a huge crush on him, oh my God-”  
“Well, it did tur-turn out they’re brothers, but... in my defense, I didn’t know that until it was already too late!" She stammered, "But- If we're being honest, I would have slept with him, regardless.” Cara added quickly, hoping the faster she spoke, the less time Naomi would have to think of ways to tease her about it.  
“Wait... what?” Naomi asked, her voice raising incredulously. “I was just fucking with you, but... For real? Cara! Does he have any idea how you used to feel about that dude? That's kind of fucked up-” Naomi was talking so quickly, Cara couldn’t help but shake her head as she heard her friend's absolute delight at her misfortune.  
“Right now, he has no idea, and I’m going to pray it stays that way...” She took a breath, before confessing, “But, it sounds like our paths might cross again soon, and I am not looking forward to that conversation...”  
“Seems like it _could_ be an awkward moment.” Cara could hear the smile in her friend’s voice, and it felt at least a little better having it off her chest, and knowing Naomi was still taking pleasure in her pain, nothing new. Naomi sighed, her voice sounding dreamy as she mused out loud, “Of fucking course, CJ would wind up stalking you the one time you actually get the nerve to sleep with someone you like. God, when was the last time you even got laid before this?" She tried to think for a moment, before adding, "You really like this guy, don’t you?” Cara’s palms sweat as she kept pacing; Cara and Naomi had been friends for so long now, it was easy for them to read each other, and right now, Naomi could hear her tells from a mile away.  
“I don’t know...” Cara fidgeted nervously as she tried not to betray how deep she’d already fallen into her crush, “I just... When Sam and I slept together, it was- well, really nice. Sex with him was the best thing that’s happened to me in _months_ , and you know it.” Naomi groaned, but Cara knew she was nodding; the last year or so had not been kind to her, and they had done all they could to stay positive. “Right now, I feel safer with him than I would with anyone else. So, I’m going to stick with him-” There was a spark of realization as she spoke, one that betrayed just how much she’d managed to fall for him in such a short amount of time. “I- I mean, until this bullshit is over, anyway.” Naomi seemed just as surprised at the revelation, knowing now that Cara had developed feelings for a one night stand, and dreading what that might mean for her survival.  
“Cara. Things have been shitty for you, I’ll give you that.” Naomi relented, but Cara could hear the judgment in her voice. “But that isn’t exactly a good reason to go running into the arms of some stranger you’ve just met!”  
“We’ve met before, this is just the first time I’ve seen him in a while,” Cara stretched the truth slightly. “There’s always been chemistry between us, I just _happened_ to act on it last night... What can I say? I needed a pick-me-up after the exchange, sue me.”  
“I’m done picking on you about it, I can tell you’re getting mad.” Naomi soothed, “I know you have your reasons, I just don’t want some dude taking advantage of you, that’s all.”  
“Thanks for the concern.” Cara answered flatly, frustrated as she was immediately reminded of Victor’s same speech. _Why doesn’t anyone think I’m capable of thinking for myself?_ She pushed away the thought irritably.  
“Alright, so I’m gonna set up a share with everything I was able to find for you today in the usual spot at midnight tonight. It isn’t much, but I was able to get my hands on a last known address, phone number, and, I saved the best for last... I got ahold of one of his no-limit credit cards tied to an off-shore bank account. He’ll find it when you use it, so you’ve got to make it count, but if you can get your hands on a bunch of pre-paid credit cards, you’ll be pretty set up for a while.” Cara smiled, thankful for her friend’s immense effort.  
“Naomi, you’re incredible.”  
“I have my moments.” The other woman preened, and Cara wished she knew when she’d get to see her friend again, but she knew they would need to wrap up the conversation quickly.  
“One last question... In everything you saw CJ was posting, did he mention anyone else, at all? I’m still trying to figure out whether or not he’s connected my other friend to all this, yet.”  
“I haven’t seen any other names popping up repeatedly.” Naomi confirmed, which made Cara feel marginally better, until she added, “Though I doubt he’d put everything he has up his sleeve on display like that, so take it with a grain of salt.”  
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Cara sighed, continuing to pace up and down the hallway; she couldn’t stop herself from glancing over her shoulder every ten feet or so. She hadn’t had a drink since she’d gotten away from the computer, but even so, she could feel the vodka starting to bleed in around the edges of her consciousness, warm and inviting. “I don’t know how to thank you for all this, Naomi, really.”  
“Just come home soon, please, Cara. I’m worried about you... I don’t like it when you’re not around. And there’s no way in hell you’re leaving me alone to rebuild this company.” Naomi hesitated, then added, “Oh, and Cara?”  
“What?” She asked, not sure what Naomi was going to say, now.  
“If you care about this guy, you should probably get that awkward conversation out of the way early.”  
“I’ll be home soon. I promise.” Cara answered, praying Naomi wouldn’t hear just how unsure she really felt about that; she had CJ’s address, phone number, and credit card, but _what good would that do them in the long run?_ Knowing she'd slept with Sam had really struck a nerve with CJ, she could pretty much guarantee their need to contact Nate was legitimate, but after they did that, she was still drawing a blank. Cara shook her head, praying they would figure out something to do as they went along, refusing to address the second part of Naomi’s goodbye.

***

“I’m telling you, the way that girl is acting, something is _wrong_.” Victor commented the moment she closed the door behind her. “I don’t like it when she gets like that.”  
“She has anxiety,” Sam shrugged, “Kind of understandable in a situation like this.” He worried his lip, still staring at the closed door. “I know what you mean, though, I can't say I'm not worried about her, too. She seemed alright earlier... _Angry_ , but nothing like that.” Victor cleared his throat, one eyebrow raised in response, and Sam rubbed at his neck. “What?” Sam challenged, already knowing what Victor was going to say.  
“You’ve been paying her an _awful_ lot of attention, kid.” The old man sighed, shuffling the newspaper in his hands as he changed to the next section, and Sam couldn’t help but wonder how he hadn’t finished reading it already. “I know I can’t change the fact that the two of you have-” He hesitated, gesturing with the paper in his hands, “Made _that_ choice... But you seem to be forgetting that she’s still a very young person in a very dangerous situation. She’s impressionable, and you making eyes at her is only gonna make things worse for everyone, _mark my words_.” Sam scoffed, but Victor continued, reiterating, “Leading her on isn’t gonna do her state of mind any good, damn it!” Sam rolled his eyes, shaking his head as Victor spoke; he knew his little infatuation had gone too far, already, and he didn't need Victor lecturing him about it. He’d noticed it that morning, and Victor had obviously started to, not that he was being particularly subtle, if he thought about it... Sam knew they needed finish this business, and soon, if for no other reason than to get Cara out of danger. For whatever reason, he was hoping that would somehow make him think about her less, knowing she could safely go back to living her life again in peace, and he could do the same.  
“Whatever it is that you think I’m doing, I’m not.” Sam answered back hotly, his voice fighting not to betray the fact that he knew Sullivan was making a fair point. “Once I know she’s safe for good, we can go our separate ways. I'm worried about her safety, nothing more, nothing less.” Victor scoffed, putting down the newspaper finally as he looked at Sam.  
“You don’t seriously believe it’s going to be that easy? You just walk out of her life the same way you dropped in?”  
“I believe you’re being _purposely_ obstinate, and I want to stop talking about this already.” Sam said, changing the subject irritably as he stood to get another beer and deposited his empty bottle onto the top of the dresser next to the 6-pack. Victor tongued the inside of his cheek smugly, knowing he'd upset Sam, he settled back in his chair again and shifted his paper around noisily once more.  
“Well, just _try_ to keep it in mind the next time I catch you staring at her a little too long.” He knew it would happen again, without a doubt in his mind, and he could tell it was bothering Sam because he was right.

  
***

Cara returned to their room feeling somewhat better after having talked to Naomi, and knowing they had access to CJ’s credit card number gave her some small satisfaction... With any luck, they could buy some disposable credit cards and rent a car to take to Nate’s in the morning. The moment she opened the door, she was acutely aware of the tension that had risen between Sam and Victor in the small amount of time she’d been gone. Both men were decidedly avoiding one another’s gazes- Sam, absorbed in peeling the label from his second beer and whatever lame infomercial was playing absently on the television, while Victor sat drumming his fingers against the fake vinyl desktop.  
“I’ve got some potentially good news, boys.” Cara broke the silence with a small smile, earning a quick grin in return from Sam as he turned to look at her, immediately perking up at her shift in mood.  
“So, Naomi found something, then?” Victor asked, finishing the last sip of his own beer.  
“Last recorded address, phone number, and best of all, a no-limit credit card we can use to buy untraceable debit gift cards. One-time-use, though... He’ll know where we are, after that.” Sam nodded, impressed with her line of thinking now that she’d had time to conference with her friend and gather her thoughts. She’d seemed so shaken before, it was like seeing a completely different person, as her confidence returned. “The way I see it, tomorrow morning, we order some disposable debit cards and rent a car. Use that to drive to Nate and Elena’s, then have Victor meet up with and warn Nate while Sam and I cover your backs from outside.” Victor raised his eyebrows at her proposed plan, still unaware of how she and Sam had discussed it long before now.  
“What happened to ‘ _not making contact unless absolutely necessary_ ’?” The older man asked, and Cara finally walked further into the room, crossing past Sam to the desk then snatching the bottle of vodka.  
“Sam and I discussed it on our way to the convenience store. Neither of us like the idea of leaving Nate and his family in the dark if there’s even a possibility that they could be in danger- which, after talking to Naomi, it sounds like they could be. I figured, of the three of us currently involved in all this, CJ does know you and I are connected, but I don’t think he knows you’re with us right now...” She seemed to deflate slightly, “At least, Naomi confirmed your name isn’t out in the open like Sam’s is. So, I thought you would probably attract less attention than either of us would.” Victor seemed to chew on his thoughts for a long time before he finally spoke, and Cara remembered to breathe again, abruptly.  
“This plan of yours doesn’t start until morning? Let me sleep on it tonight.”  
“That’s not _exactly_ an answer that inspires confidence...” Cara’s expression faltered, until Victor qualified,  
“It’s _not_ a no,” He sighed, “I just want to think it over. We could still be headed into a trap, you know?”  
“I think it’s a pretty good plan.” Sam was smiling proudly, and Cara felt herself stand a little straighter as she settled comfortably on the bed Sam wasn’t already occupying, resuming sipping her vodka straight from the bottle and chasing it with gulps from her energy drink can. “Especially if it involves spending massive amounts of that asshole’s money.” Sam took another drink of his beer with a smile, he was looking forward to causing a little mischief... Cara half-wished she dared to pick up the computer off the desk, waste some time turning off her brain using the white noise that is the internet, but something still felt off, and she didn’t want to run the risk of doing something stupid.  
“So... Do we plan to actually do anything tonight besides sit here in awkward silence?” Cara cleared her throat, trying to break some of the tension that still hung in the air. “We should probably get something to eat soon, too. Otherwise my stomach will hate me in a few hours.”

***

Cara hummed appreciatively as she sealed up her leftover Thai food takeout, thankful to finally have a full stomach for the first time in days. She finished the last of the energy drink she’d been nursing, tilting her head back to catch the last few drops before putting the empty can on the dresser next to Sam’s bottles.  
“Mmm- Not bad.” Sam licked sauce off his fingertips as he followed Cara’s lead and packed up his garbage, then tossed it into the trash can next to her. He yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head as he stood next to her; Cara watched him intently, taking in the calm, sated smile on his face as he turned to look at her and Victor. “I think it’s about time we stepped outside for another cigarette.”  
“I like the way you think.” Cara smiled, looking over her shoulder at Sullivan as she asked, “Will you be joining us, Victor?” He seemed to consider it a moment, before waving them on instead.  
“I think I’ll pass this time. I’m supposed to be cutting back...” He winked, “You should, too.” Sam held the door open for Cara as she crossed in front of him, cigarettes and lighter in her hand.  
“ _Yeah, yeah..._ ” Sam rolled his eyes animatedly as he closed the door behind him, Cara falling into step next to him with ease. She couldn’t deny the part of her that had been re-playing her conversation with Naomi in her head, over and over again. What was Sam to her, really? He had to be more than just a warm body, but what did that make him now? Naomi’s parting words followed, _If you care about this guy, you should probably get the awkward conversation out of the way early_ ; Cara sighed, she knew Naomi wasn’t wrong, if she and Nate came face-to-face the next morning somehow, things could get ugly, and fast, but she didn’t have a way to bring it up, let alone the courage to actually do it. More than anything else, she wanted to hold his hand again; it would be easy, with how close they were walking, to brush against him and link their fingers together, but she had no idea how he would react if she did it...   
They crossed through the hotel lobby quietly, bee-lining for the ash tray outside, as Cara couldn’t quite hide the content smile on her face at the comfortable feeling of a delicious meal mingling with the warm vibration of alcohol running through her bloodstream.  
“I think this is the longest you’ve looked at ease all day.” Sam talked around the cigarette hanging from between his lips, “It's a good look on you.” Cara’s cheeks flushed at the compliment, and Sam noticed it immediately. “I- uh... I’m glad you’re feeling better now that we have at least _some_ kind of game plan, I mean-” He fumbled slightly, and Cara flicked the ash off the end of her cigarette to avoid his eyes, until she couldn’t.  
“I actually, kind of am... I can’t really explain it, I just feel better after talking to Naomi, and now-” She raised one eyebrow, earning a chuckle from Sam. “I want to resume getting drunk.” Sam laughed harder, and Cara could swear her heart was beating faster. _When did a crush last make me feel like such a lovesick idiot?_ Cara couldn’t suppress the thought.  
“I wish I could join you, but I don’t have enough beer.” Sam pouted, and Cara had an idea, blurting it out before her brain got the chance to filter it.  
“I would be more than willing to share my vodka, on _one_ condition-”  
“And that is?” He asked, smoke flowing from his nose and mouth at the same time as he looked back at her with interest.  
“We play a drinking game, of my choice, until we are sufficiently shit-faced.” She proposed, pausing before adding, “Or we run out of booze, whichever happens first.” She shrugged, and Sam looked intrigued, laughing again at the glimmer in her eyes.  
“You have something in mind, already.” He crossed his arms over his chest with a smirk that made her sweat; it was a statement, not a question.  
“A little game of ‘never have I ever’, if you’re feeling up to it.” She waggled her eyebrows in challenge as Sam laughed at her suggestions.  
“Isn’t that some fourth grade ‘truth or dare’ bullshit?” He scoffed, what remained of his cigarette perched between two fingers with the same persistent smirk curving one corner of his mouth.  
“Well, sorry,” Cara tried to hold back her embarassed grin, “Them’s the rules, take it or leave it.” Sam looked back at her, only half-serious when he asked her,  
“ _Why?”_ He groaned dramatically, but Cara couldn’t stop herself from going at least a little more serious.  
“Sam, I can count the things I really know about you on two hands... Can you blame me for being even a _little_ curious?” He seemed caught off-guard at her sudden honesty,  
“Yeah, I guess I get that.” He looked at the ground, before adding, “But you know you could always just ask, if you have questions, right?” It was Cara’s turn to fall speechless at his unexpected response, her round eyes blinking as she tried to come up with something to respond with. “Anyway, we should get out of sight again soon.” Her heart fell slightly, thinking she might have overstepped her boundaries, until he motioned for her to walk with him. “Come on, I’ll play your dumb game, as long as it means I can get drunk, too.” They fell back into step easily, and Cara couldn’t help but re-play that last interaction back again, sweating at the look on his face, practically pleading for her to trust him. She stepped just a hair too close as they walked through the lobby, their hands brushing by accident; without thinking, her fingers threaded with his, just as easily as they had at the night club, what seemed like a lifetime ago already. Sam stopped in his tracks, and Cara started to panic, immediately withdrawing her hand until she felt him squeeze back hesitantly. “Hey-” Sam started, but Cara cut him off immediately. As much as she wanted things to continue with Sam, life was already complicated enough... There was no way he would want to spend more time with her after all this was through, she reminded herself, _especially once he finds out about my history with Nate._  
“I’m sorry-” She started, falling silent again when she realized he was still holding her hand gently as they walked. He half-hoped she’d break the contact as quickly as it had begun, but there was still a part of him that didn’t want to let go despite the warning bells in his head. “Sam, I need to talk to you about somethi-” Before she could finish her sentence, Sam had stopped the both off them, just a few feet away from their hotel room door, concern painting his features as he looked back at her questioningly.  
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked, immediately aware that she’d fallen back to anxiety so quickly he hadn’t even blinked. “ _Cara-_ ” Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, and she could feel herself chickening out again, knowing they could be happy yet for the rest of the evening without dredging up the past and bringing it all crashing down. She plastered on a smile, even though she knew he’d recognize a fake one when he saw it; _to hell with it_ , she thought selfishly, before pulling him close to her and drawing him into a kiss. Sam’s eyes were wide, completely unexpectedly as he stood in place, caught by surprise until his brain caught up with him and he pulled away, shaking his head slightly.  
“Forget about it- it’s nothing.” Cara answered, trying not to look disappointed at the way he withdrew, but Sam still looked back at her questioningly as he had before. He looked as if he were caught between common sense and wanting to kiss her back, but common sense appeared to win over.  
“Victor’s right on the other side of that door, and if he sees us, he is _not_ going to let it go.” His voice was warning, and Cara remembered to take another breath. “Come on, let’s get back inside. _There will be time for that later._ ”

***

The next morning, Cara’s brain felt fuzzy as she awoke, her head aching lightly and her stomach flipping with the after-effects of the bottle of vodka she’d managed to finish between herself, Sam and Victor. They had played drinking games into the late hours of the night, taking turns laughing at and embarrassing one another until they were all well beyond sufficiently drunk; from what she could tell, Cara had been the first to rise that morning, glancing over to see Victor and Sam still asleep on opposite sides of the bed ( _Victor had demanded_ ) they were sharing, both men still snoring quietly as Cara made her way to the bathroom and forced herself into her morning routine (or rather, as close as she could emulate it, anyway). She showered slowly, scrubbing her face in the spray of the hot water as she tried to rid herself of the not-quite-hangover, glad she wasn’t incapacitated by a migraine or vomiting profusely. After the shower, Cara dried herself off and dressed, taking her time as she examined her appearance in the mirror, appraising her own condition with a shrug when she realized she didn’t have any makeup or another change of clothes, making a mental note to ask the boys whether or not they could make a stop later that morning to remedy that. She brushed her teeth with the complimentary tooth brush and toothpaste that sat waiting on the bathroom sink, hoping no one else had already claimed the toiletries for themselves; once she’d finally finished the routine, she felt somewhat human again, walking out of the bathroom with a plume of hot steam rolling from the open door behind her. She was surprised to see Sam and Victor still asleep, having half-expected both men to be up and around by the time she’d finished getting herself ready. Cara took another slow, steadying breath, going through the plan they’d developed in her head as she tried to remember what they were going to do that day. With a sigh, she made her way over to the dresser where she’d left her cigarettes, sitting neatly next to Sam’s crumpled, empty pack he hadn’t bothered to throw away yet after having finished it the night before. She walked to the bedside table, where Sam’s wallet was sitting; thinking she would be nice, she took a few dollars out of it, and then left to go out for her morning smoke, planning to take a short walk to buy Sam a new pack.  
The thought of leaving the premises alone still sent a small shiver down her spine, but Cara figured, if CJ hadn’t made a move yet, then he still hadn’t found them, and was waiting for them to make a move first. She made her way to the store quickly, smoking a cigarette as she walked brusquely in the morning sunlight, squinting against the bright rays that filtered through the fluffy clouds overhead. Without making too much eye contact, Cara made her way to the front counter and bought a pack of Sam’s brand of cigarettes quickly, thankful when the cashier didn’t bother to ask her for ID. The walk seemed to take less time, and before she knew it, Cara was back at the hotel, standing outside as she finished her smoke and flicked it into the ash tray by the door. _Well_ , she thought as she forced herself to walk back indoors, steeling herself for what lie ahead of them, _no more excuses_. The electronic lock on the door clicked as it released, little green lights blinking as she slipped the cardkey from its slot and swung the door open quietly. She’d been hoping the boys were still asleep, realizing a fraction of a second too late that they might have come to different conclusions were they to wake up without her there; her heart plummeted when Sam was standing at the door, gun drawn as if he were expecting her to be one of CJ’s goons, instead.  
“Sam!” Cara yelped, and Sam immediately dropped the gun, “It’s just me!”  
“Where the hell were you? When I woke up and you weren’t here, I got worried-”  
“So you pointed a _damned_ gun in my face?” Cara shot back hotly, “Jesus, I saw you were out of cigarettes and I wanted to get some air, so I walked to the store and bought you some.” She pulled the pack from her pocket and handed it to him, but both men still had sour expressions on their faces.  
“You shouldn’t have gone out alone like that.” Sam scolded her, and Cara could feel the anger flaring in her chest. “What would have happened if he’d somehow managed to find us overnight?”  
“You two looked like you could use the sleep, so I just went for it. Nothing happened, anyway.” She answered, trying to ignore the way he was looking at her. “Let’s just move on. We’ve got to get started on the plan as soon as possible, and that means getting the hell out of here as fast as possible once I place the transfer order.” Sam and Victor exchanged a quick glance, then nodded in agreement; they knew, even if they disagreed with the cavalier way she was treating the danger, she was still the most likely of them to keep them safeguarded against CJ’s main methods of tracking them.  
“So, I assume you’ve already got a plan in mind to pull this off?” Victor asked as Cara nodded, crossing over to the computer, picking it up and moving to the bed where she could easily reach the land line phone.  
“It shouldn’t be particularly difficult.” She answered casually, her fingertips flying against the laptop keyboard as she navigated through settings, hiding her identity before locating a local cash advance business in a shady suburb nearby that she could call into to make a purchases over the phone. Cara spent the next half-hour coordinating a $10,000 transfer from the unlimited line of credit on the card to ten pre-paid debit cards, arranging to pick them up under CJ’s name. She bit her lip, knowing it was a gamble as to whether or not they would be able to make it through the transaction without providing ID, but after having dated him for so long in the past, she knew the last four digits of CJ’s social security number, and if she could have Sam call over the phone and pretend to be CJ, he could verify her identity as his “girlfriend” and allow her to pick up the money. While Cara sat on the phone, making herself sound particularly light-hearted and charismatic, Sam and Victor packed their things, preparing to move the moment she finished making calls. By the time they were done prepping, Sam sat on the bed next to her, watching with awe as she performed such an incredible feat of thievery while still seeming so charming and respectful, it astounded him to see her honed skills in action.  
“Alright,” Cara said, sighing as she hung up the phone at last. “We should be all set. One phone call once we get there, where I need you to pretend to be him. You verify the transfer by giving them your social security number and answering a security question, and we get the hell out of here.” Sam was still gaping at her, slack-jawed with wonder, wishing he didn’t find that as _hot_ as he thought it was, as Victor shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.   
“Shall we?” He asked, motioning for them to go, the group springing to action without a moment to lose.

***

The transfer of the money and car rental went smoother than Cara had expected, and just three hours later she, Victor and Sam were on their way to Nathan’s office, where they would be able to warn him about any potential danger that could be heading his way. Cara couldn’t stop her stomach from doing flips the closer and closer they got to their destination, fear, panic and dread combining in a way that left her feeling existentially hopeless; by now, she just felt like she was waiting for things to implode at any second.  
“Sam and I are staying in the car while you go inside, right?” She asked, glancing back and forth between Victor and Sam as she tried to occupy her nervous energy somehow. It was obvious Sam had caught on to her shift in demeanor, but he remained in the same chipper mood as he’d been before, swelling with pride after having seen Cara’s skills in action.  
“That’s the plan, all right.” He smiled, trying to sound reassuring, though Cara couldn’t help but remember getting the same impression from him the night they first met - that being, that he was genuinely trying to make her feel better without _any_ idea what was remotely upsetting her. “Things are going really well, Sweetheart. Just try to relax and keep calm. We’ll be alright.” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to think straight without anxiety spiking at the thought of what Nate could do when they finally came face-to-face with one another after such a long time without any contact whatsoever.  
“A little easier said that done...” She sighed, keeping her eyes focused out the window next to her as Victor’s phone rang; he announced the caller’s identity, but everyone in the car knew they’d been eagerly awaiting just one person’s call.  
“Hey, there’s Nate, right on time.” Victor answered the call easily, not wanting to do anything to send Nate into a panic just yet. “Hello? Heh-hey, Kiddo, we still have plans to do lunch in a little while?” Cara could only hear the occasional wisp of conversation on the other side of the phone from where Victor was sitting in the driver’s seat ahead of her, but just hearing the familiar happy tone of Nate’s voice had her stomach doing somersaults - she’d never felt so acutely aware of how much she missed being friends with him. “Yeah, Sam’s with me, we just picked up the rental car and we’re on our way into town right now.” Cara was both surprised and thankful Victor hadn’t mentioned her presence, though she couldn’t pin down with certainty the reason why, other than him thinking the phones could be compromised, in which case they were headed into a trap, anyway.  
Victor arranged to meet Nate at a diner a few miles away from the newly-renovated _D+F Fortunes_ offices, and Cara half-hoped she and Sam could figure out a way to eat and stand watch at the same time, but something told her that was probably a bad idea. It took another painful hour of driving before they made it to the restaurant; Victor was hesitant to leave at first, pacing around the outside of the rental car until he recognized Nate’s 4x4 parked alongside the diner wall. Cara practically dove behind the car to hide when she heard footsteps approaching, along with Nate’s familiar voice.  
“Aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes?” Sam stared at Cara behind the vehicle, his eyebrows knitted together in response to her reaction until Nate snapped him out of it, drawing him into a warm hug.  
“Hey, little brother.” Sam greeted him with a smile, squeezing Nathan tightly before steering him gently away from Cara and back towards the restaurant. “Victor, why don’t you and Nathan get a table inside. I’ll, uh-” Sam hesitated at the lie, but Victor nodded in agreement, “ _We’ll_ catch up later.”  
“Guys? What’s going on?” Nate started walking in with Sullivan slowly, continuously glancing back at Sam in confusion as Victor tried to keep him calm.  
“I’ll explain _everything_ , let’s just sit down and order some food first. I’m starving!”  
“Sully!” Nate’s expression was half-amused, and half-alarmed at the same time as they took their seats inside the diner. “What’s happening, here?”

***

“OK, you want to tell me what _that_ was, just now?” Sam asked as he crossed around the vehicle to where Cara was still crouched down, hiding. Her heart raced in her chest, no longer able to prolong the moment of confrontation. “I thought you and Nathan knew each other from way back in the day?” Cara’s hands shook slightly as she straightened up, a cigarette finding its way to her lips before she finally dared to look him in the eye, his expression searching her own with concern.  
“Nate and I were friends, but that was a long time ago. We haven’t spoken in years, I-” Cara hesitated, staring at the ground as she finished, “ _I don’t think he is going to want to see me_.”  
“What? What do you mean? Why not?” Sam looked stunned, “Nathan’s a reasonable guy, I’m sure whatever happened-” He started, but Cara shook her head, unable to stop herself from blurting out her embarrassing secret.  
“The last time I saw Nate, I got way too drunk and tried to convince him to sleep with me. He was my first big crush, and he had just gotten dumped by Elena, so I acted scummy and tried to take advantage of the situation. When he figured out what I was doing, he got mad, stormed out, and-” Immediately, Cara knew she’d over-explained when Sam’s expression twinged and changed; she could practically feel the way he saw her flip like a switch, his voice tight and controlled when he broke the silence that had fallen between them so suddenly.  
“ _Nathan..._  Nathan was your _first_ crush...” Sam laughed, but there was a palpable lack of the same mirth or warmth that might have been there in the past. “So, does that mean you slept with _me_ as some kind of substitute? Surrogate wish fulfillment, or a consolation prize, or something?” There was an element of hurt in his body language that she hadn’t expected that somehow made it all feel worse as Cara tried to defend herself, fists balling,  
“Come on, Sam... Don’t look at me like that. I had _no_ idea you and Nate were related until after-” She stopped, trying to retain her composure, “After what happened at the dance club. By the time you told me, I guess I thought the damage had already been done, and I was still attracted to you, so-” Cara shrugged, shrinking back in fear when Sam retorted bitterly.  
“ _So why not fulfill that fantasy, anyway?_ ” His tone was venomous, and Cara couldn’t stop the tears from welling in her eyes, her chest aching at the way he now saw her so differently from before, the look on his face was wild and unrestrained.  
“Jesus, Sam, would you just listen to me? _It wasn’t like that!_ ” Cara shouted, her voice cracking as she flailed, “I would have been with you _regardless_ of who you’re related to, _fuck!_ ” Before she could say another word, Sam turned away from her sulkily, no longer even willing to look her in the face.  
 _“I think I need to take a walk.”_ He didn’t wait for a reply, stalking away without so much as looking back.  
“What? Sam!” Cara called after him, until he was out of earshot, but still he stubbornly ignored her.

***


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“He-hello? Naomi, what’s going on?” Cara could hear whispering on the other side of the line, deep, a man’s voice that sounded so familiar, a chill ran down her spine, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying._
> 
> _“Cara-” Naomi’s voice wavered over the phone as Cara’s worst fears materialized on the other side of the line. “Cara, I need you to listen to me carefully, okay? Last night, after we talked, a group of guys showed up, and... Well, CJ’s guys broke into my place, stole and wrecked a bunch of my stuff, and took me with them.”_
> 
> _“Fuck, Naomi, no-” Cara’s mouth dropped open in horror, realizing whose voice she now knew was prompting Naomi to speak, “I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault-”_

_You giant asshole, we’re supposed to be watching for trouble!_ Cara thought bitterly as she sat on the hood of the car, elbows on her knees and face in her hands. Without warning, the burner phone she’d been using to communicate with Naomi started vibrating in Cara’s pocket, and she began to panic, knowing Naomi wouldn’t plan to call her now, and Cara hadn’t informed her about their success yet. Still, it was Naomi’s phone number that displayed on the screen, so cautiously, she answered the call.

“He-hello? Naomi, what’s going on?” Cara could hear whispering on the other side of the line, deep, a man’s voice that sounded so familiar, a chill ran down her spine, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

“Cara-” Naomi’s voice wavered over the phone as Cara’s worst fears materialized on the other side of the line. “Cara, I need you to listen to me _carefully_ , okay? Last night, after we talked, a group of guys showed up, and... Well, CJ’s guys broke into my place, stole and wrecked a bunch of my stuff, and took me with them.”

“Fuck, Naomi, _no_ -” Cara’s mouth dropped open in horror, realizing whose voice she now knew was prompting Naomi to speak, “I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault-”

“Hey! Focus! You can’t fall apart right now!” Cara could hear what sounded like fumbling and angry, quick words in the background behind Naomi’s scared, exhausted voice. “You need to get out of there, _now_.” The sound of a heavy impact had tears in Cara’s eyes as fear gripped her chest so tightly she felt like she was struggling to take deep breaths. “- _Hang up, he’s tracing the-_ ” She could hear Naomi’s phone hit the ground with a clatter, and Cara knew she should have smashed the phone right then and there, but she couldn’t make her fingers work when the man she'd been dreading all this time lifted the phone back toward his mouth.

“She’s _just_ _unconscious_ , don’t worry.” CJ sounded angry, but like he was trying to be nonchalant at the same time as he immediately addressed Cara’s fears.

“ _CJ_.” She barely said his name, breathing it more than speaking, which seemed to delight him; Cara’s stomach burned at his reaction.

“Oh, Lina, it’s so good to hear your voice... _I missed you._ ”

“What are you doing with Naomi, CJ? Let her go. She has nothing to do with this.”

“You think her helping you steal ten thousand dollars from me this morning is _nothing_?” Any positivity in his voice quickly faded, and Cara recognized the man she’d left with the same familiar fear.

“Look, I’m sorry about that...” Cara lied, “I was desperate. Don’t take it out on her when I’m the one you’re really upset with.”’

“Oh, don't worry. I won’t, as long as you agree,” CJ started, Cara sat waiting for him to explain what exactly it was she was supposed to be agreeing to.

“Agree to what?” She glanced around, desperately wishing Sam could have cooled off from his walk and come back by now, but he was still nowhere to be seen nearby.

“ _My terms_. You come back to me, rejoin your previous role in the Collective... Oh, and I make you my _wife_ , of course.” Her stomach rolled at the thought, making her feel ill. “I’ve got some people coming to give you a ride so we can talk about this, face to face. I think you’ll recognize them, don't be rude.” Cara could hear the cruel smirk in his voice, “I suggest you play nice and go with them, without a struggle. If you try to run, I will not be held responsible for what happens to your _bitch_ of a best friend... _Just so we don’t misunderstand each other_.”

“Sure. Whatever you want.” Cara answered flatly, all emotion draining from her as she steeled herself for what was waiting for her in the rapidly approaching black SUV turning about four blocks down the street from her.

 

***

 

Sam was a block and a half away when he finally realized what he was seeing, taking off at sprint as fast as his legs could carry him, swearing when he knew there was no way he’d be able to reach them in time to safely get off a clean shot.

“ _CARA!_ ” He bellowed desperately, waving his arms wildly as the SUV drove past him, but the windows were tinted black, and he couldn’t see the shell-shocked look of absolute terror on her face in the back seat. Sam bolted inside the restaurant, eyes wide as he gasped a panicked explanation to Victor.

“Sam?”

“Victor, they got her- CJ has Carolina, and he is _not_ happy. _We need to leave, now._ ” Without another word, Victor scrambled out of the booth, shouting at Nate over his shoulder as they left.

“Nate, get Elena and Cassie out of here, somewhere safe. We’ll be in touch once you’re good to go home. I’m really sorry you got tied up in this, Kid.” Nate just watched them scramble with a bewildered look on his face. What had Sam and Sully gotten themselves into? Both men reached the car at a sprint, neither bothering to expend the energy to speak until they were inside, taking off in the same direction Sam had seen the SUV go, and praying it hadn’t gotten too far ahead. “ _What the hell happened?_ I thought you two were supposed to be standing watch!” Victor shouted, eyes scanning the road ahead of them as his knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

“I don’t know...” Sam lied at first, rubbing at the back of his neck as he admitted, “It was stupid of me. We got into an argument and I lost my temper, so I went for a walk around the block-”

“You what?” Victor’s face turned scarlet with anger as his voice rose to a roar in the enclosed cabin of the car. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You know what kind of a sociopath we’re dealing with, here-”

“I know!” Sam shouted back, his face contorting with guilt as he ran a hand through his hair and over the back of his head. “I wasn’t thinking, and it’s my fault. Now that those goons have her...” He couldn’t finish the thought, seething with anger at himself. Victor could see how hard Sam was blaming himself for Cara’s capture, but he knew they wouldn’t be any better off with Sam acting rash and impulsively; his expression softened slightly as he spoke again this time.

“It was a mistake. Now we’re gonna have to figure out how to find her and get her back. We’re not going to catch up to them, they’re too far away for that by now, but...” Victor thought out loud, trying to visualize where he’d seen Cara scribble down Naomi's information before they’d left the hotel. “Do you remember where Cara put the computer?” Sam looked surprised, the thought taking a moment to register before he scrambled over the seat to dig around in the trunk where they’d stashed their luggage.

“Uh... Here it is, why?” He slipped the laptop from the carry-on bag it had been packed into and set it on the front seat ahead of him, waiting for Sullivan to explain the relevance, because if there were any clues there, he didn’t know where to even begin to start looking.

“Just open it.” Victor nodded, tapping the steering wheel victoriously when a piece of hotel stationary slipped out from between the keyboard and the screen. “Ha ha! That girl understands the value of a hard copy in a moment of emergency!” Sam stared at Cara’s handwriting, so neatly lettered on the page, his chest tight with guilt; _So, they had an address now... If nothing else, it was a place to start looking for her._ Sam worried his lip with his teeth, pulling up a map on Sullivan’s phone without giving a damn whether or not CJ knew they were coming anymore.

 

***

 

By the time Cara’s escort made it to CJ’s compound (which, she was thankful to see, matched the address from Naomi’s intelligence), she was so far beyond existential dread, she’d now reached some form of emotionless, zen, calm. Cara had seen Sam running after her, just moments too late, but she was almost thankful for it; there’s no knowing what would have happened to Naomi had Sam intervened to try to somehow stop her, or save her from what she was doing. _But, the fact that he saw me at all means that, inevitably, he and Victor are going to rush in and try to mount a rescue..._ Cara took a slow, deep breath at the thought, _They’re going to get us all killed._ A massive wrought-iron gate opened to a long narrow driveway, paved neatly with solar tiles; Cara was half-impressed by the ingenuity, until she realized she could already picture CJ’s smug bragging over it, immediately losing all interest in it. It took another few seconds of driving before the SUV finally reached the front of the house, parking slowly so that she could finally climb out of the tight space. Cara stretched in the driveway, pushing her arms above her head as the rest of her escort made their way out behind her.

“Come on, he’s waiting for us inside.” The same man who’d pushed her around before now gripped her elbow tightly, wrenching her into moving forward without any room for debate.

“Yeah, alright, just-” She tripped, gritting her teeth when the man’s massive fist yanked her backward again. “Easy- Take it easy, I’m going!” Cara desperately wanted him to stop touching her, but the thug’s hand remained in the same position until well after he’d punched in the digital lock code on a panel next to the door and pushed her inside unceremoniously. Indoors, Cara was surprised to see almost no lights illuminating the massive foyer hall, the blinds drawn on every window. She couldn’t ignore the chill creeping at her spine by the second as the group moved down the hall, further into the house, until she finally saw light pooling from a dimly-lit family room that easily matched the size of her first studio apartment. Finally, the vice-like grip on her elbow released, but Cara realized it was only because CJ had announced his presence, clearing his throat as he slowly made his way across the room toward them. Her pulse quickened, and the blood in her veins felt icy as Cara caught sight of him again, the first time in well over two years; overall, he still looked the same- tall, handsome, with maybe a little more gray making its way into his hairline, a few more wrinkles than he used to have, but otherwise he remained unchanged. Cara stood stock-still in place when he had the audacity to put a hand on her shoulder, leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

“God, I’ve missed you, _Lina_.” The sound of his voice so close to her ear, mixed with the fading feeling of his lips against her skin, and Cara had never wanted to turn and run away from a situation so badly in her life. But she knew she couldn’t do that, not without knowing where Naomi was, making sure she was safe was Cara’s number one priority. _No matter what that meant subjecting herself to_. “You changed your hair...” CJ commented, pouting slightly, as if he hadn’t known what she looked like from all the pictures and video footage he’d sent her before. “What a shame, I liked it better the old way.”

“Where is Naomi?” Cara asked, ignoring the way he seemed to be trying to bait her into fighting with him. “If you did something to her while we were traveling here, I swear I’ll-”

“She’s fine, _relax_.” CJ answered, gesturing casually, “She’s in one of the guest rooms, and she's probably already trashed the place.” His fake cheery smile dropped at the words. “In fact, _boys_? Would you gentlemen kindly fetch our other guest, to put my lovely bride-to-be’s mind at ease?” The largest of the men nodded, leading two others down the hall in the same direction CJ had gestured, leaving just one guard behind.

Cara felt like she was in shock, the way CJ had referred to her as his “ _bride-to-be_ ”... _Had she really just agreed to that?_ Her stomach flipped yet again, watching the group of hired muscle slowly lumber away.

“You don’t care for my help?” CJ could tell she was staring after them, the look on her face betraying her distaste.

“Well, other than the bruises I’ve still got from my first encounter with them,” Cara touched her shoulder and winced gingerly, playing it up for effect, “Yeah, I guess you could say I’m not a fan.” CJ’s lip twitched, but he didn’t react much outside that as he replied casually.

“Yes, I suppose they can be a bit enthusiastic when they’re told to complete a task unsupervised.”

“I was just surprised you told them to send a message like _that_ , telling him to force himself on me? I never took you for the type to enjoy that sort of thing-”

“Wait, what did you just say?” CJ stopped her, dark brows creasing, “They- Who did that to you?”

“Well, the big one, mostly, but his buddies were all laughing along, I just thought you were trying to embarrass me, put me in my place and all that.” Cara shrugged, trying to act casual as she vaguely described the events that had had her on edge for the last few days. She could see it was working, though; CJ’s whole body had tensed, and his face was starting to flush with anger.

“Is this true?” CJ asked the other guard standing behind him, who’d kept his mouth shut up to this point.

“More or less, yeah.” The guard fumbled, “We didn’t wanna get involved, and he was having a good time. Figured it didn't matter much. Besides, she shut him down on her own, pretty quick.” CJ’s lip twitched again, anger coloring his cheeks.

“Lina, I didn’t tell them to do _that_.” His voice was low and dangerous now, “ _I would never share you with anyone._ ”

 

***

 

“This is it.” Sam sighed heavily as he slowed to a stop on the street next to a massive wrought-iron gate. Victor pulled the car into park, unbuckling his seat belt in time with Sam until the younger man looked at him incredulously. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going in with you. What does it look like I’m doing?” Victor replied back irately, already knowing what Sam was going to say. “You think you’re the only one who’s worried about her right now? I’m helping.”

“I’ll go inside, Victor, you need to stay out here in case we need a quick getaway!” Sam reasoned, not bothering to broach the fact that Sullivan had to be well into his late sixties, if not early seventies, and still willing to run head-first into a rescue operation with a life on the line. “Keep the engine running and watch for us, okay?” With that, Sam was already shutting the car door behind him and climbing over the wrought-iron gate with little difficulty. Once he’d dropped to the other side, Sam made his way to the tiny console that controlled the gate and ripped out the wires that ran to the electronic locks. With a loud heave, Sam managed to disengage the lock, forcing the gate open far enough for Sullivan to pull the car through and up the driveway to the house.

 

***

 

“ _There’s been a breach in the perimeter security, repeat, the front gate controls are offline._ ” The robotic alarm's voice spoke quickly over a secure channel on the henchmen’s ear pieces, just loud enough for Naomi to hear from the man who was gripping her arm harshly.

“Everybody on your guard... I think we’ve got company-” As soon as he’d gotten out the words, one of the massive plate glass windows shattered next to them, and Naomi screamed in surprise when she recognized the man heaving himself over the crooked window frame, a pistol drawn and trained on the largest of them in the middle of the room; his eyes narrowed with recognition, and Naomi wished she knew how to handle a third man with a gun without a third to help them. Sam lined up his shot in all of a fraction of a second, reacting in the same moment that Naomi knocked the gun from the hand of the guard who still held her and kicked it, sending it skittering to the floor. The last guard was mid-motion, cocking his pistol just in time for Sam to turn his weapon on him.

“Ah-ah-” Sam tutted, motioning for the other man to drop his gun while the largest guard groaned, clutching at the wound in his shoulder painfully. Naomi yanked her arm from her captor’s grasp and picked the dropped pistol from the ground, her heartbeat racing at the weight of the cold metal in her hands. “Are you Naomi?” Sam asked, confusion in his voice as he nodded at her in greeting. She took slow, shuffling steps toward him, not daring to take her eyes off the others as she nodded in response to his question. "I recognize you from the picture on Cara's phone."

“And I’m guessing you’re Sam?” He nodded back, a small smile perking up one corner of his mouth.

“We’ll have to make real introductions later.” Sam said, an obvious hint of worry in his voice. “Where’s that asshole keeping her?”

“He had just ordered to have be brought somewhere,” Naomi explained hurriedly, “I was hoping that meant he was trying to convince her he hasn’t hurt me, yet, anyway.” Sam’s insides burned as he faced the guards he hadn’t already shot with a sigh.

“Fellas, I've got a little proposition for you. Here’s a few thousand dollars for each of you fine gentlemen,” He took out his wallet, waving a stack of pre-paid debit cards for them to see as he laid out his proposal. “As long as you consider your contracts with your current employer as expired, and leave the premises as soon as possible to avoid any future complications.”

“And if we refuse?” The guard Sam shot stared back at him defiantly, anger burning in his eyes.

“Well, if you refuse, then you’re making yourself known as an ally of CJ's, and that... Well, that’s just no good for me.” Sam smiled disturbingly, and Naomi’s mouth dropped open when he added, “But, _you_ don’t have to worry about that, because this offer doesn’t extend to you. Just your friends, there. I’ve got another idea in mind for you.” To Naomi’s extreme surprise, both the other men exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement, stepping close enough to grab the cards from Sam’s outstretched hand before leaving through the twisted window frame Sam had come in from.

“I- I can _not_ believe that worked.” Naomi blinked incredulously, earning a self-satisfied smirk from Sam.

“If I can avoid killing someone, I’ll do what I can.” Something changed in his face as he looked at CJ’s last remaining henchman, still bleeding heavily where he stood by the door. “ _Unless_ they’ve done something to hurt people I care about... You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” A moment of recognition dawned on the other man’s face before he took off at a run, scrambling through the door next to him, he threw it shut as Naomi stopped Sam from taking another shot, the weapon discharging into the ceiling instead.

“Hey!” Naomi shouted, “You already winged him, that's enough!”

“What the hell?” Sam looked at her with surprise and frustration. “That _asshole_ tried to force himself on Cara, and when she didn’t go along with it, he slammed her against a wall!” The anger in his voice left Naomi feeling stunned; her heart hurt knowing Cara hadn’t told her about that particular detail of this nightmare, but she felt conflicted at Sam’s rage-fueled death sentence. “Come on, he’s going to go warn CJ, and if that happens, we don’t want her to be around for it.” Naomi nodded, biting her lip as they started to follow the trail of blood droplets marking Cara’s assailant’s path. She didn’t want to admit it, but she new Sam was right; with him there, there was no telling what CJ might do to Cara, and they needed to act fast.

 

***

 

The sound of glass shattering, and a gunshot in the wing of the house where Naomi was being held sent a chill down Cara’s spine, her fear spiking intensely. Without warning, CJ cleared his throat again, holding out his hand for the last guard to deposit a pistol into.

“It sounds like an uninvited guest has elected to join us.”

“CJ, I swear, I didn’t know-” Cara started, pleading when she thought his patience had run thin. “Please-” A hard slap across her cheek effectively silenced her, CJ stood and began pacing until he heard the sound of rushed footsteps clamoring down the hardwood-floored hallway.

"Sir-" The last remaining guard finally spoke up, but stopped when CJ looked at him wildly.

“Keep your mouth _shut_.” CJ commanded, pressing himself against the wall next to the door frame, gun pointed at the ceiling as he stood waiting; Cara prayed silently, over and over again that Sam wouldn’t come rushing blindly through the doorway until she forced herself to take a breath when her least favorite thug tumbled into the room, surprising all three of its occupants.

“We’ve got com-company-” His chest heaved with effort, blood starting to soak his clothes slowly, staining the floor beneath him. “Drake-”

“Thanks for the warning.” CJ answered flatly, then fired a round into the guard’s head; Cara covered her mouth, trying to keep in the scream as blood flooded the floor in front of her. “ _Nobody_   _touching my things._ ” CJ explained nonchalantly, still not moving from where he was behind the door. Not ten seconds later, CJ’s waiting came to fruition when Sam and Naomi burst through the door, side by side; just before crossing the threshold, Sam had convinced Naomi to hide her gun in the back of her pants, just in case CJ got the jump on them, and she felt thankful for it when CJ spoke from beside them, his voice low and to the point.

“ _Samuel Drake_... I am just _so_ glad you decided to invite yourself in.” CJ smiled wolfishly, “Because now, I am _well_ within my rights to shoot you.”

“Ah, you don’t really want to do that, do you?” Sam started, trying to stall as he took a tiny step toward Cara, who appeared to be in as bad of shape as he’d ever seen her, a raised handprint standing out across her cheek.

“No, no, no... See you don’t seem to _get_ what’s happening, here. You see, Sam, she chose _me_ over you. _I won._ ” CJ gloated, walking slowly back over to where Cara stood frozen in place, not daring to make eye contact with either of them. “Even after you garnered such high praises from dear Lina, here, she still came running back to me at the first opportunity.”

“What?” Sam cocked his head in surprise; he’d known CJ was a sociopath, but he wasn’t making sense. Cara would never choose to come back, not after the way he’d heard her talk about him before. CJ seemed encouraged at Sam’s confusion,

“At first, I was _really_  upset, knowing my Lina had lowered her standards enough to let a _greasy old geezer_ like you _touch_ her, especially after hearing her fawning all over you to _that_ one, ugh.” CJ’s face turned sour as he shot a look at Naomi, and Sam still couldn’t believe his ears... Cara had talked about him to Naomi, enough to make CJ jealous, and he hated to admit the small amount of pride that gave him until CJ added, “Yeah, but that’s all over now. She’s ‘ _seen the light_ ’.” He motioned for Sam to drop the weapon he still held at his side. “Lina, if you’d please relieve Samuel of his side arm?” Cara looked at CJ with surprise, earning an impatient nod in return. “ _Now, please_.”

“Here,” Sam relinquished the firearm to her easily, searching Cara's face with his eyes as he did so. “Don’t worry, Sweetheart, it’s gonna be alright. _Fuck_ , I'm so sorry for all this...” He spoke quickly, hoping CJ couldn't hear him clearly mid-monologue.

“Good, _now-_ ” CJ ignored Sam’s reassurance to her, pulling Cara back, his gun still trained on the other man until they were in the middle of the room, pausing as he thought better of what he’d been doing, “Now, _you_ are going to kill Samuel.” Without warning, CJ’s gun lowered down, pressing into Cara’s back menacingly, “Or _I_ am going to shoot _you_. No other way out of this, one of you is going to die today... And I _really_ want to see the look on his face when it's _you_ that kills him.”

“CJ, you don’t want to do this-” Cara started, but her voice faltered when she felt the sound of the hammer cock behind her like an electric shock.

“If you _won’t_ do it, I guess I’d settle for the look on his face when _you_ die...” CJ said, his mouth directly next to her ear. “Do _not_  test me.” It was the last warning he was going to give, Cara hesitantly raising Victor’s pistol in her quivering hands as Sam silently pleaded with her, wanting her to listen to him, shoot him, if it meant keeping her safe. “ _That’s my girl_.”

 

***

 

In a fraction of a second, the room turned to chaos- Naomi panicked, drawing her gun quietly while Cara and Sam had CJ’s attention, but she narrowly missed hitting him when it looked like Cara really might shoot Sam; the shot whizzed past CJ’s ear, and without any hesitation, he pulled the trigger, hitting Cara in the side, shattering a rib instantly. Cara heard the shot before she felt it tear through her: a loud pop and then Sam was shouting, fear in his eyes when she looked down, her hands falling to her side as the force of the impact sent her to her knees. It hurt more than anything she’d ever felt before, burning pain and torn flesh in tandem with the heavy flow of blood now seeping in her clothes, down her front and back. CJ seemed stunned, staring at what he’d done to her in disbelief, but Sam didn’t hesitate anymore; he took the gun from Naomi’s shaking hands, two shots in a second, and CJ fell to the ground, lifeless, behind her. The last guard seemed to be in shock, barely coherent as he stared at the bloodbath in front of him, looking like he might be ill. Their assailant was no longer a threat, but Sam knew it did nothing to help their immediate need, not when she sat on the floor in front of him, pale and bleeding, shaking like a leaf. His stomach grew tight, unable to keep his eyes from all the blood already soaking through the fabric of her shirt.

“S-Sam, I-” Cara’s voice faltered, whimpering, her breathing shallow and panicked, “I-”

“I know, Baby, I know... Just try to breathe.” He’d bridged the distance between them in three strides, knocking the gun out of her hands gently as he set to work, pulling up her shirt enough to peel back the blood stained fabric to get a good look at the wound.

“Oh my God, Cara-” Naomi rushed to her side, sinking down next to Sam and clutching Cara’s hand in both of hers. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault!”

“Naomi, I need you to go get Victor, and have him call an ambulance. After that, I need you to do something very important for me, okay? The only thing that’s going to keep me from going back to jail tonight, is going to depend on you finding CJ’s security camera controller, and destroy only the footage from the wing I entered through.”

“Actually, I wrecked that camera the minute he decided to lock me in that room. There wasn’t anything to record that footage, I promise.”

“Really?” Sam asked, eyebrows raised, evidently impressed.

“Happy accident, I guess.” Naomi shrugged, then nodded with understanding, running out to find where Victor still sat in the driveway; he ran in quickly, fear coloring his features when he reached the massive room, now marked irreversibly with carnage.

“I heard gunfire, I’m sure the cops are gonna be here any minute-” Sam cut in before he could finish, drawing Victor’s sight to the floor as he spoke urgently.

“Victor, she’s down. We need to call an ambulance, now.” The exchange lasted mere seconds, but Cara felt as if everything was moving at half-speed. Her normally warm brown skin had gone pallid and cold, and Sam could tell she was going to slip into shock if she didn’t receive medical treatment soon. Naomi stood next to them, unable to ignore the look of fear and determination on Sam’s face as he forced his hands to replace her own, pressing to staunch some of the blood flow as they waited, drawing another sharp, pained gasp from her lips.

“Ahhh- Sam, it hurts-” She tried to shove back against him weakly, but her strength was no match for his own. “Please, no more-” Cara begged him, but Sam’s hands remained planted firmly where they were, blood still seeping between the edges of his fingers.

“Shhhh, I know, Sweetheart, I know. Stay with me, you’re doing great.” He really did know how it felt, having been shot three times in almost the same spot fifteen years ago, but it was hard to remember in the moment; Sam had to wonder if this was how Nathan had felt when it happened- terrified and powerless at the same time, though, at least he had the benefit of being able to try to do something about it. He continued to coach her, but he knew none of it was going to matter if help didn’t get there in time, he glanced away from her every few seconds, hoping to see or hear someone coming.

Another few minutes passed, Sam trying his damndest to keep Cara from going into shock, he ripped off his jacket and pulled it over her shoulders just before he finally saw police lights and heard sirens signifying the arrival of the authorities. Naomi ran out into the front yard, waving for police officers with emergency medical kits, she shouted,

“Officer, please, my friend’s been shot! Help!” In the moment, fleetingly, Sam realized he could be in real trouble as a full team of police swarmed over the scene, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about anything but the woman bleeding out in his arms until the ambulance finally arrived moments later. The paramedics loaded her hurriedly, but when Sam moved to follow them, two police officers barred his way, making he, Naomi and Victor stay for questioning at the scene; Sam’s blood was boiling with anxiety and frustration by the time they’d finally explained what had happened, and the police tentatively allowed the three of them to go to the hospital to support their friend now fighting for her life.

 

***

 

“We’ll be in touch. Don’t leave town.” They were the last two things the police officers had told them before finally allowing Sam, Victor and Naomi to leave the police station; they took a taxi to the hospital, and Victor called Nate from the front seat to tell him what had happened. Sam hadn’t spoken a word since leaving the police station, too absorbed in worrying about Cara’s condition to really think about anything else.

“Sam, I’m so sorry.” Naomi apologized, breaking the silence in the back seat of the car next to him, unable to look him in the eye; she still felt so much guilt over what happened to Cara.

"Him shooting her isn’t all your fault, Naomi. I know it might be hard to accept that, but it’s true.” Sam finally spoke, his voice choked and low. “If you hadn’t intervened, I’d probably be dead right now.”

“But instead, Cara’s sitting in an operating room.” Naomi answered back sharply, realizing how much worse that sounded than what she’d meant. “Don’t get me wrong, Sam. I didn’t want to see her hurt you, either. I just... I can’t believe he did it, when he was so obsessed with making her marry him. He was talking about spending their lives together-”

“CJ didn’t _love_ her, he wanted to _own_ her.” Sam ground out angrily, “When he realized she wouldn’t let him do that, she lost all value to him. Killing her and hurting me, or killing me and hurting her, he had nothing to lose, either way. Plus, he knew I’ve got priors... Any amount of time with the cops is just gonna make things worse.”

“The security camera footage will corroborate everything we told them. At least we’ve got that in our favor.” Naomi sighed, her hands still shaking with pent up nerves. “If all else fails, I’ve got a friend who’s a lawyer and she owes me a favor, I can call her if things get murky.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.” Sam sighed heavily, and Naomi realized how much older he really was than she or Cara, struck by just how worn he looked after all the stress; she knew she hadn’t fared any better, if anything, he’d held himself together incredibly in the face of all they’d just been through, he just seemed... more _vulnerable_ , now that they had a moment to breathe. Victor knocked gently against the window next to Sam with one knuckle to get their attention, telling Sam,

“Nate and Elena are going to meet us at the hospital once they get back into town and find a sitter for Cassie. Nate was gutted when he heard the news.” Sullivan sighed, “He also did _not_ take the news about the encounter with the cops well...” Sam rubbed at the bridge of his nose, not ready for whatever speech Nathan was going to give him when they finally saw each other again after that blowout fight with Cara. His heart hurt in his chest, reminding him of what an incredible asshole he had been, for just leaving her out in the open like that; he’d never forgive himself for it. He couldn’t stop re-playing the scene in his head, running down the streets as fast as his burning legs would carry him, but still it wasn’t enough, no matter how he looked at it, he always came back short, watching her climb into the car like an emotionless husk.

“Wait... Like, ‘Nate’, Nate? As in, your brother?” Naomi turned to look at Sam with an expression of disbelief, “Do you really think that’s a good idea? Isn’t she supposed to relax? Having Nate and his wife there is not going to be good for Cara!”

“Yeah, I don’t know if it’s exactly appropriate for Nathan to just show up there...” Sam grimaced at Victor, explaining, “They haven’t seen each other in years for a reason, Victor. Things between them were not good.”

“I know that.” Sullivan sighed, “Nate explained it, and you and I are going to have to have another talk after all this, Sam.”

“She makes it out of this, I’ll let you yell at me until your face turns blue.” Sam shot back in frustration. “Nathan being there is only gonna-”

“Nate wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, said he couldn’t leave things on a bad note like that, he never wanted anything bad to happen to her.” Victor shook his head, “If things get heated, we’ll make him leave. Elena’s just coming for moral support for all of us. She’ll stay out in the waiting room if we get to go in Cara’s room.” Naomi clicked her tongue, looking at both men stubbornly,

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“If him being there hurts her, I’m gonna throttle him.” Sam ground out, his fists balled as he tried to figure out why Nathan so badly wanted to make things right, now, of all times. He stewed in silence for the remainder of the taxi ride, steeling himself for what might lie ahead of them.

 

***

 


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> __“I’m sorry, she hasn’t been cleared for any visitors, yet. I’m afraid she’s going to need some time for recovery after the procedure. They’ll want her to sleep overnight, so you might as well give us a call in the morning, and we can let you know how she’s doing.”__  
>  “No way, I’m not going anywhere. I don’t care if you’re not gonna let me sit beside her, I’ll stand in the lobby if I have to.” Sam said, adamantly against the idea of leaving, even for a moment.  
> “That’s fine, you’re welcome to wait in the lounge,” The nurse inclined her head toward a fluorescent-lit waiting room high above them in the next building over, “There’s plenty of televisions, magazines to read, and a few vending machines, if you get hungry.”  
> “That’s where we’ll be, then.” Sam lead the way, Naomi and Victor on his heels; both Victor and Naomi had distinctly noticed the way Sam had bristled at the news, having a hard time accepting the fact that CJ had caused real, permanent damage to her, in large part because of his irresponsibility.

Cara was only barely out of surgery by the time Sullivan, Sam and Naomi made their way inside the emergency room hurriedly, hoping to find out where she had been taken.  
“Excuse me, we’re looking for someone who was brought in here a couple of hours ago with a bullet wound, Cara-” Sam hesitated, realizing with embarrassment that he honestly didn’t even know her last name with any certainty as he stood at the check-in counter; Victor rolled his eyes, coming to his rescue hurriedly,  
“Carolina Figueroa. Is she- Is she alright? I’m her, uh, her adopted father-”  
“I’m her _boyfriend_ , and this is her best friend.” Sam cut in, hoping them being identified as close to Cara would be enough to grant them access to see her. “Where is she?”  
“Oh, I’m sorry, Ms. Figueroa was admitted to our surgical unit for an emergency procedure a few hours ago. She’s been moved to the recovery wing, but they think it’s going to be a while before they can bring her out of the anesthesia. There was severe damage to two of her ribs, and the shot pierced one of her kidneys, they’ve deemed it un-repairable at such close range, so it’s been removed.” Sam felt like he’d been punched in the stomach, like all the air had been sucked out of the room.  
“She- She lost one of her kidneys?”  
“Thankfully, that seems to be the extent of the damage,” The nurse seemed somewhat upbeat considering the news she was delivering. “Ms. Figueroa will have a long road to recovery, but her injuries are not likely to be fatal.”  
“Can we see her? Or at least sit with her, until she wakes up?” Victor asked this time, stepping up when Sam had to step away, his hands running through his hair in disbelief. _She was going to be ok... She was hurt, but she was going to be ok._  
“I’m sorry, she hasn’t been cleared for any visitors, yet. I’m afraid she’s going to need some time for recovery after the procedure. They’ll want her to sleep overnight, so you might as well give us a call in the morning, and we can let you know how she’s doing.”  
“No way, I’m not going anywhere. I don’t care if you’re not gonna let me sit beside her, I’ll stand in the lobby if I have to.” Sam said, adamantly against the idea of leaving, even for a moment.  
“That’s fine, you’re welcome to wait in the lounge,” The nurse inclined her head toward a fluorescent-lit waiting room high above them in the next building over, “There’s plenty of televisions, magazines to read, and a few vending machines, if you get hungry.”  
“That’s where we’ll be, then.” Sam lead the way, Naomi and Victor on his heels; both Victor and Naomi had distinctly noticed the way Sam had bristled at the news, having a hard time accepting the fact that CJ had caused real, permanent damage to her, in large part because of his irresponsibility.  
“Sam...” Naomi broke the tense silence first, earning a short, almost strangled answer from him.  
_“What?”_  
“I know you’re upset... I mean, all of us are. But Cara is lucky, all things considered. Her injuries are survivable, we can’t ask for anything more than that right now.” He immediately clamped his mouth shut again, refusing to tell her why he was still stewing, blaming himself for abandoning Cara in the first place, after he’d told Naomi not to do the same thing about missing the shot at CJ. Instead, he stopped right at the door of the lounge and turned around, mumbling about how he needed a smoke. The others just nodded, letting him go without another word.

Sam sat on the bench outside the hospital lobby, allowing himself the moment of solitude to lower his guard, in his own head over everything that had happened. He settled his elbows against his knees as a burning cigarette hung between his lips, thumbs pressed to either side of the bridge of his nose, he could feel the chill night air creeping in around him but couldn’t bring himself to care.  
“Well? Have you heard anything?” A familiar warm hand settled heavily on Sam’s shoulder, and he snapped back to reality, realizing Nathan and Elena were already here.  
“Oh, Nathan, hey...” Sam scrubbed his palms over his eyes quickly, “Sorry, I thought Victor would have called. She just got out of surgery, but they won’t let anyone in to see her, at least until morning.”  
“Is her condition that bad? Sam, what happened?” Nate’s brows drew together, alarm written all over his features. “Sully mentioned the cops got involved... I mean, you know I’ve got your back if it comes down to it, but, are things getting-” Nathan started, and Sam had to stand up and pace around again to avoid blowing up.  
“Nathan, Cara’s ex-boyfriend, who, I feel like I should mention has been stalking her for God only knows how long, shot her in the back at nearly point blank range. She lost a kidney over this, and all of it happened on camera on that asshole’s security camera system... We fought back in self defense, and well, I- I ended up killing him...” Sam wished he didn’t feel shame about that fact. Sure, he’d killed men in the past, but it was never something easy, and he’d never had the authorities get involved with it before. Everything felt messy and unsure, even though he knew it was technically justifiable with all that CJ had done to terrorize Cara, including trying to kill her, and him. Nathan recoiled slightly at his brother’s words, his own worst fears being confirmed right before his eyes, “So, who knows? It could get ugly.” Sam was clearly a wreck, and Nathan couldn’t exactly blame him. From what Victor had told him, Nate knew Sam and Cara had grown close very quickly, but it was just hitting him now that Sam’s feelings extended far beyond mere physical attraction as he’d assumed.  
“Well, we’re here for you, no matter what.” Nathan tried to smile despite the way Sam looked so broken. The idea of seeing his brother behind bars again tore at his insides more than he cared to describe.  
“We have a lawyer on retainer, just in case.” Elena added, wanting to try to offer Sam some reassurance. She’d immediately noticed the mens’ demeanors from the moment she and Nathan had seen him from the parking lot, she knew Nathan was genuinely hurting because Sam was hurting, and it felt awful to watch from the outside. She stepped close enough to stop Sam’s pacing, pulling the much taller Drake brother into an unexpected hug. “You’re not going through any of this alone, Sam.”  
“Come on, let’s go inside. We can talk more about this in there.” Nathan motioned for the door, but Sam remained in place, unmoving.

“Elena, thanks, but you should go on ahead. I need a minute still, Nathan can keep me company.” She looked confused, but nodded and left them alone, going to find Victor indoors.  
“Sam-” Nate started, only to be interrupted by Sam immediately.  
“Nathan, what the _hell_ are you even doing here?” The younger Drake looked offended at the question.  
“What? Sam, I was worried about you, _and_ about Carolina when Victor told me what happened. Besides, I’ve known Carolina a hell of a lot longer than you have-”  
“Yeah, and I know the two of you aren’t speaking.” Sam’s jaw set tightly as he remembered how he’d reacted yet again. “I know _why_ the two of you aren’t speaking. _Christ, that’s half the reason any of this fucking happened-_ ” Nate was finally getting the full picture, recognizing the heavy weight of guilt that Sam was drowning in. He tried to listen carefully to his brother’s pained words as he explained, “She couldn’t face you when we met up this afternoon, which I thought was weird, and when I asked why, she told me the truth. And then, I reacted like a goddamn jealous child.” Sam sighed heavily, tossing the finished butt of the cigarette he’d been nursing and reaching for another one, he invited Nathan to sit on the bench with him.  
“Sam... Carolina getting hurt is awful, but you can’t put that blame on yourself. From what Victor was saying, it sounded like her ex would have done anything to get back at her. If it hadn’t been then, who’s to say it wouldn’t have happened somewhere else, later?” Sam looked emotionless and blank, but on the inside he was fuming; _how could Nathan act as if Cara getting hurt was more or less inevitable?_ He knew his brother was trying to help him feel better somehow, but it was only making him angrier.  
_“Regardless_ , when Cara saw you this afternoon, her reaction was volatile, Nathan. She doesn’t deserve to be forced into that confrontation without warning, not after what she’s been through.” Sam sighed again, expelling another plume of grey smoke into the air.  
“You’re seriously telling me I can’t see her?” Nate crossed his arms over his chest, challenging Sam with his eyes.  
“Could you at least wait until she’s had a little time to adjust? She did just live through something pretty fucking traumatic, Nathan.” Sam ran his hand over his thinning hair, “I don’t even know if she’ll talk to _me_ when she wakes up. I said some horrible things to her when I lost it.” He shook his head angrily; Nathan put his hand back on Sam’s shoulder, wishing he could somehow ease his brother’s pained conscience.

“Sam, if you think it’s better for Caroli- uh, Cara,” He corrected, having finally noticed the way Sam half-flinched at the use of her full name, “Elena and I can head home until she gets a chance to know we’re coming. But I am going to see her, alright? I’ve had a lot of time to move on, and I actually do miss working with her.” Nate looked grim, “It feels awful thinking of her in there like that, and knowing she still thinks I hate her over something that happened so long ago.”  
“Yeah, imagine how it feels _being_ the one that sent her there.” Sam muttered under his breath, grinding his second cigarette out under his heel, but Nathan wouldn’t let the comment go.  
“Alright, Sam, I get that you feel guilty, but you have _got_ to stop dwelling on it and blaming yourself, man. If not for you, then for Cara, and Victor, and Naomi. Because when that girl wakes up, she is gonna have to deal with more real consequences than any one person should have to handle at one time... The last thing she is gonna want, or need is you blaming yourself for what happened in front of her. Just try to stay positive when you’re around her. It helps a little, I promise.” Nathan fell quiet for a moment, chewing his lip and thinking, before he asked, “Did I ever tell you what happened to Elena after we found Shambhala?” Sam though about the question for a moment, then shook his head. “Harry Flynn got shot, _bad_ , by Zoran Lezarevic, so when he figured he was already going to die, he wanted to take someone with him. He pulled the pin on a frag grenade ten feet away from Elena, right after she offered to try to help get him out of there.” Sam was stunned, in awe to know his brother's wife as she was now after surviving such an attack. “Her condition was touchy for a while, and I felt a lot of the same things you’re feeling right now. But I promise, you have to try to ignore those thoughts. If you care about her, you have to be strong enough to support her.” Sam sat in silence, the brevity of the conversation they were having really sinking in. _Did he really feel the same way about Cara that Nathan felt about Elena? Was that even possible with how short of a time they’d really even known each other?_ Sam laughed, more to himself than anyone else, looking over at Nathan with an embarrassed expression on his face.  
“I don’t know if things are, uh, _quite_ that serious, Nathan.” The comment caught Nate off guard, especially by the way Sam had been acting from the start. “We’ve only known each other a few days, and I’m not proud of it, but, well, we kind of fucked each other the first night we met without even knowing each other’s last names.” Nathan laughed, shaking his head.  
“Somehow, I’m not exactly surprised.” He added, “Doesn’t change how you’ve been acting about her, though. Hate to break it to you, but you have feelings for her.”  
“Well, fuck.” Sam said flatly, “Victor’s probably going to kill me, if I don’t end up in prison at the end of all this.” Nate laughed again, clapping Sam on the back heartily as they finally made their way back inside.

***

Victor, Naomi and Elena were surprised when Nate announced he and his wife would be leaving for the night, but that he wanted to be kept informed about any news of her condition. After some convincing from the rest of the group, Victor decided to go with them instead of spending the night in the hospital waiting room, leaving Sam and Naomi behind, each determined not to leave Cara’s side. Nathan had made Sam promise he would at least _try_ to get some sleep, but despite his best efforts, he still found himself staring at the blank, white ceiling tile above him in the early hours of morning; unbeknownst to him, Naomi was struggling to sleep as well until she broke the eerie quiet that felt almost stifling in the silent corridors in the middle of the night.  
“All I want to do is close my eyes, and when I wake up, we’ll finally get to see her. But I can’t get myself to fall asleep.” She could tell Sam was awake, and felt uncomfortable in the deafening silence. “I’m so fucking tired right now.”  
“I know what you mean.” He straightened his neck up from where he’d had it resting against the back of the chair, looking at Naomi sitting in the narrow aisle across from him. “I just want this damned day to end.” Naomi found herself studying his features in the glow of the fluorescent light as he spoke, she still felt dizzy at the idea of what had taken place in the space of twenty-four hours, and the way Sam had handled the crises with calm, collected actions.  
“Sam, can I tell you something? I think I need to get something off my chest, but I don’t want to make it weird.” He couldn’t help but laugh at the question, perking an eyebrow as she watched him carefully.  
“I guess?” He answered, having no idea what to expect.  
“When Cara first told me about you, we were already knee-deep in CJ’s bullshit, and honestly, I kind of wrote you off.” She sounded apologetic, but he couldn’t exactly blame her for it knowing some of the less savory details of his past. “I thought Cara was self-medicating after a traumatic event, and I wrongfully assumed you were taking advantage of that. I need to apologize, Sam. I’m sorry for doing that, it wasn’t fair of me.”  
“Well, if it makes you feel better, Victor felt the same way, and he’s my business partner, so...” He shrugged, “I guess I just come off as that kinda guy.” A quick memory of the people Cara’s age who’d watched him with that same judgmental glare burned in his mind, making him grimace.  
“Now that I’ve seen the kind of person you are, the way you took care of her until the ambulance got there...” Naomi’s eyes welled up slightly, “Cara told me that being with you was the best thing that’s happened to her in a long time, and I just dismissed it as her getting overly invested in a crush, but now I think I agree with her.” Naomi smiled, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Sam sat in stunned silence, trying to process what Naomi had told him... _Being with me is the best thing that’s happened to her._ His chest ached at the idea, that she could feel as attached to him as he’d grown to her in such a short amount of time; somehow, he’d known he was doomed to fall for her since the moment she touched his chest to slip his lighter into his pocket, but it only just now occurred to him that she might fall for him, too.  
“I, uh... I didn’t know she felt that way.” He managed to force out, coughing to hide the emotional waver in his voice. “She never told me.” Naomi’s eyebrows raised, and she looked embarrassed, one hand flying to her mouth to cover her surprise.  
“Oh my god! You can’t tell her I told you that-” Sam couldn’t keep a smile from cracking his lips, the exhaustion making the moment seem even funnier as he leaned back in his chair again, scrubbing a hand over his face.  
“Yeah, well, I guess I can’t deny she’s been on my mind, pretty much constantly, since the moment we met... Or, met again, I guess.” He closed his eyes, his head leaning back against the wall as he tried to will the surge of dopamine from the laughter mixed with the encroaching exhaustion to finally lull himself to sleep. “She has a way of getting under peoples’ skin, I guess.” Naomi sighed, nodding in agreement, she slowly stood up and moved to sit in the seat next to Sam. To his surprise, leaned against his shoulder tentatively, and Sam cracked one eye open to look at her in response.  
“Sorry, is this ok? I can move if it isn’t-” He sighed with a smile perking at his lips again as he closed his eyes again, patting the spot she’d been leaning against on his shoulder.  
“Nah, you’re fine. Dunno how comfortable you’ll be, but you’re welcome to use me as a pillow if it’ll help.” Naomi looked thankful, but Sam couldn’t see it. He felt her lean against him again, with her full weight this time, and before they knew it, both Sam and Naomi had finally begun to slip into a light sleep, ready to wake again at a moment’s notice.

***

When Cara finally opened her eyes in the early hours of morning, she felt groggy, her vision still blurred around the edges as she blinked the room around her into focus. She took slow breaths, allowing herself to remember as much as she could of what had transpired leading up to the moment she lost consciousness in the back of the ambulance, fire and ice fighting over her senses until she couldn’t stay awake any longer. Cara laid in place, trying to take stock of what she could feel outside the overwhelming haze of sedation, she slowly began flexing her muscles, starting with her fingers and toes and moving inward, until she finally picked her head up off the pillows and dared to look down; her fingertips skimming over the front of her hospital gown, she could feel a small wound covered by a pad of gauze and tape, as well as bandages binding what she assumed were broken ribs. She felt almost optimistic until she tried to sit up, searing pain shooting through her back as her hands flew to another bandage, hiding a thin, puckered surgical scar, and Cara could feel her heart drop into her stomach at the realization that something had gone wrong... Her heart rate climbed in an instant, the monitor next to her chirruping loudly as she started to panic despite the fog still slowing down her brain: all she knew, was that something felt wrong and she didn’t know _what_. Another few seconds of the monitor’s beeping, and a nurse rushed in as fast as her legs would carry her with a look of worry and determination on her face.  
“Good morning, Ms. Figueroa, my name is Jenna, and I’m here to help you, are you alright?” Without waiting for a response, the nurse was already at Cara’s bedside, poking and prodding as she took Cara’s vitals and looked her over. “I’m going to need you to take deep breaths for me. You’ve been through something pretty traumatic, and your body needs to try to stay calm in order to heal. Do you think you can do that, take deep breaths?” Cara nodded slowly, wishing she could find her voice.  
“Wh-what ha-happened to me?” She could feel her vocal cords cracking with disuse, “I remember- CJ shot me, and then-” Sam’s face burned behind her eyelids, and Cara’s chest felt tight again, the heart rate monitor jumping just as immediately; Jenna looked Cara in the eyes gently, and Cara knew the news she was about to receive was not going to be good.  
“Carolina, I’m afraid-” Jenna started, hesitating when Cara seemed to flinch at the use of her first name.  
“Please, call me Cara.” She corrected quickly, to which Jenna nodded.  
“Cara, you were brought here with an almost point-blank gunshot wound to the back, which caused irreparable damage to one of your kidneys. We had to remove it in order to keep you from hemorrhaging internally...” After that, Cara’s ears felt like they were ringing, her senses going numb as the nurse continued to explain the procedure she’d just undergone in detail, but she only absorbed every third word or so. “You’ve got a long road ahead of you, but if you work hard, recovery is very likely. Admittedly, there will probably be some things that will take some getting used to.” Cara nodded slowly, feeling overwhelmed, but she tried her best to breathe slowly, evenly. Now that she knew the extent of the damage, all she could think of were questions, immediately spilling out of her mouth.  
“Are my friends here? Is everyone alright? What happened with the police-”  
“You have a few visitors waiting to see you,” Jenna answered, “They’ve been here all night, constantly asking for updates. They were asleep last I saw, but I’m sure they’d like to be woken up, if you want to see them.” She sighed, then added, “As for the police, well... They’ve asked to be informed once you’re awake, but we figured we’d give you some time to recover before they come in and interrupt your healing process. It won’t be for long, unfortunately, but I figure twelve to twenty four hours should help a little.” The nurse paused once more, hesitating slightly before she leaned a little closer to Cara, concern in her voice as she spoke. “Cara, when the doctors operated, they saw some marks on your back that looked older than the gunshot wound... I feel obligated to ask, are you experiencing violence at the hands of a significant other, friend or family member?” Cara winced, shaking her head slowly.  
“No... The- the person who did that to me was the person who shot me, just... separate incidents.” She shook her head. “He’s gone, now...” The nurse nodded kindly, no longer pressing Cara when she could see how shaken the young woman was.  
“Things are going to get better from here, Cara, I promise. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”  
“Th-thank you.” Cara answered honestly, looking at the other woman with wonder. “If it’s alright, I’d like to see my visitors, very much.”  
“Alright, but you’ve got to try to take it easy for a while. You’re going to need to take breaks throughout the day.”  
“I will, thank you.” Cara nodded, leaning back against the pillows again, she forced herself to take deep breaths, even though she was worried she would set off the heart rate monitor again.

***

Sam had been awake since the moment the loud family had walked into the guest lounge waiting room, though he hadn’t bothered to pick up his head or open his eyes. He could still feel Naomi’s face pressed against his shoulder, and his arm had fallen asleep long before now, but he felt content to just pass the time ignoring the sounds of a toddler squawking across the room while their parent barely tried to keep them quiet. It was the sound of hurried footsteps flying down the hallway that made him finally lift up his head, still not bothering to move the rest of his body and wake up Naomi just yet at the commotion, following the movement with his eyes instead.  
“Woah, someone’s in a hurry...” A man’s laughing voice joked, drawing Sam’s attention. “Hey, at least it isn’t Martha’s room!” The toddler’s father quipped to one of the other adults sitting next to him, and Sam shot him a glare; with as little sleep as he’d gotten, he knew he probably looked particularly intimidating when the other man’s smile dropped immediately. Sam wasn’t positive, but the pit of his stomach filled with worry at the thought of how likely it was that she was headed for Cara’s room. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back again, taking a deep breath as he tried to reassure himself that he didn’t know anything for sure, and that he would get to see Cara soon, it was only a matter of time, and for her, he would wait as long as it took. Another few minutes passed in relative silence, but the longer Sam sat knowing he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep, the more and more he started to crave a cigarette, fighting with himself because he didn’t want to wake Naomi. Eventually, the nicotine addiction won over, and Sam shifted lightly, earning a small groan from Naomi as she slipped off his numb arm, his fingers spiking with pins and needles.  
“Mmmm, what’s happening?” Naomi mumbled, scrubbing a hand over her face and smudging the remainder of whatever makeup had been there before.  
“Nothing, I wanted to go out for a cigarette, maybe grab some coffee. You want anything?” She smiled sleepily, nodding back at him.  
“Coffee would be great. Black is fine.” She yawned into her hand, glancing around the lounge at the other group of people. “Thanks.”  
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Sam stood up slowly, stretching his arms over his head as he made his way outside just as he had the night before.  
By the time he’d finished his cigarette, gone to the cafeteria and picked up coffee for himself and Naomi, Sam felt like he was finally starting to calm down again, the caffeine helping him cope with the lack of sleep he’d had the last few days in a row. He walked back into the lounge, but felt a little confused when Naomi wasn’t sitting there like she had been when he left. He glanced around, wondering whether or not she’d gone to the restroom, until he saw the nurse from before, waving timidly at him from the hallway.  
“Are you Sam?”  
“Uh... Yeah,” He looked at her questioningly, “I am.”  
“Cara is awake, if you’d like to see her.” He almost dropped the cups of coffee in his hands, “Naomi is in with her already, but I need you to know, Cara _has_ to stay calm, and relax. Her heart rate has been spiking, and the last thing her body needs is to be put under more stress.” He nodded quickly, taking in the nurse’s every word.  
“Absolutely. Yes, thank you.” Sam’s head bobbed again, before he followed the nurse to Cara’s room, his heart thundering in his chest, unsure of what to expect once he crossed the threshold of her door. He had to take a deep breath as he walked through the door, the nurse holding it open for him, then closing it behind them to give them a little privacy; the room was very dimly-lit, curtains drawn over the large window that lined one side of the room, Cara’s bed resting on the other side.

Sam felt like he’d been punched in the gut again when he finally stepped close enough to see her in the bed, IV fluids still hanging on the rack next to her, and a heart rate monitor strapped to one of her fingers, she still looked pale and ill from the effects of the anesthesia. Even so, Sam couldn’t help but feel he’d never felt so glad to see her in his life.  
“Hey, Sam.” Cara waved from the bed, a smile covering her face as her eyes clouded with tears. He crossed the room in a few quick strides, standing on the opposite side of the bed from Naomi, who was smiling goofily at the both of them as he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, then told her,  
“I’m so glad to see you, Sweetheart.” She looked into his eyes, and when he saw the tears, he couldn’t keep the apology from falling from his lips. “ _Fuck_ , baby, I’m so sorry for leaving you alone. I never should have done that. I’m so sorry-”  
“Shhhhh,” She held up one of her hands, rubbing her palm against the stubble on his cheek as she looked at the guilt-ridden expression on his face, “It doesn’t matter, now.” Cara wished she could come up with something more substantial, but her brain still felt heavy with fog, and she was honestly just glad he was there at all. Sam’s hand raised to cover hers, their fingers twining together against his jaw, a sad smile playing at his lips.  
“Still,” He paused, turning his face to kiss her palm. “ _Christ_ , it’s good to see you awake.” Cara could hardly believe the weight Sam had been carrying, worrying over her; she couldn’t describe the relief she felt in knowing he wasn’t upset at her as he had been what now seemed like ages ago, when they last saw each other (before everything went tits up, anyway), and she took some small comfort in the thought that he wasn’t still currently in police custody, which she hoped boded well for them moving forward.  
“It’s good to see you too, Sam.” She smiled at him again, allowing her tired arm to drop back onto the bed next to her. Naomi cleared her throat from Cara’s other side, shaking her head when Cara laughed, having forgotten momentarily about the rest of the world in her dreamy, drugged up state.  
“So, what’s the extent of the damage? Have they told you anything, yet?” Cara winced as she shifted in place slowly to look at Naomi a little better.  
“Well, I’m short one kidney, and a couple ribs are broken, but otherwise,” Cara shrugged, “Only time will tell, I guess.”  
“How long does it usually take for someone to recover from something like this?” Naomi tilted her head as she addressed the nurse who was still standing at the doorway, quietly observing to make sure Cara was going to be alright with visitors.  
“Well, in a transplant donor situation, we usually see about four to six weeks of recovery time, but, given the nature of your injuries, it could be a longer road. We won’t really know until Cara starts to heal.” The nurse answered honestly, earning a look of dismay from Cara in return.  
“I’ll be surprised if she takes any longer than that...” Naomi joked, trying to lighten some of the tension that had settled, “I’ve never known Cara to be a patient person.” Sam couldn’t help but smile at Naomi’s words, thinking, _if that wasn’t the truth..._  
“Whatever happens, we’ll be with you every step of the way.” He wrapped his hand around hers gently, careful to avoid the I.V. and wires as his fingers traced hers just as they had in what now seemed like a different lifetime.  
“Thank you.” Cara smiled through the disappointment, first at Sam, then at Naomi with great effort. “To both of you, really.” She paused for a moment, the fog in her brain making it feel like her thoughts were stuck buffering, until she finally figured out what was missing. “Where’s Victor?” The question made Sam’s smile falter, he and Naomi exchanging a communicative glance that made Cara immediately uneasy.  
“Well,” Sam started, just hoping her reaction didn’t get her in worse shape, or them kicked out on the spot, “He’s, uh... He’s at my brother’s...” Cara sighed, she supposed that it made sense, she wouldn’t have wanted him sleeping in an uncomfortable chair all night if he could spend it in a real bed instead. “By the time we made it here last night, Nathan somehow got it in his head that he had to make amends, so he rushed here, and-” Cara’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, her heart rate hiked, just slightly, as she tried her best not to panic. _Nate was here. He was here, and he wants to make amends..._ The words took a moment to process- it seemed both too good to be true, and downright horrifying at the same time. “ _Hey._ ” Sam spoke calmly, trying to make sure she knew she had a say in whether or not that actually happened. “He doesn’t get inside the building unless you’re OK with him being here, alright? No one is going to force you into something you don’t want anymore... Not as long as I’m around to do something about it.” His words were a promise to her, and himself; after the ways CJ had forced and coerced her into doing things she didn’t want to, Sam swore he would do anything in his power to keep that from happening, ever again.  
“L-let me think about it...” Cara bit her lip, trying to imagine how the awkward encounter might go, but she had a hard time coming up with any scenario that didn’t end in wanting to die of embarrassment. Nonetheless, she couldn’t shake the void losing his friendship had caused in her life, and had to admit, once the awkwardness faded, it would be nice to catch up with him and hear some of his crazy stories again.  
“Of course, take your time.” Sam assured her, “Unfortunately, it just means Victor won’t be able to leave without alerting Nathan.” He sighed, not looking forward to the potential fight that might arise, should she decide she didn’t want to see him, but it was worth it to keep her safe and healthy, relatively speaking.  
“No... We’ve been silent with each other for too long. Maybe being on speaking terms again wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” Cara chewed her lip worriedly.  
“Are you sure about this?” Naomi asked, not honestly sure any of this was a good idea. “Do you remember how your mental health fared when all that shit went down? I don’t want you to re-open any old wounds.” Cara knew Naomi was speaking from a place of concern, but the way she spoke about Nate (who Cara had known _before_ she met Naomi in college, and always wondered if that had bred resentment) had always been unsupportive and dismissive; she severely under-valued the kindness and humor Nate had provided to their friendship that was so completely and genuinely his own.  
“I think I’m finally ready to apologize now.” A wave of exhaustion swept her, and Cara couldn’t believe her strength was already starting to fade. “But first, I think I need another nap...”

Sam smiled kindly, beyond delighted to hear her decision. He motioned for Naomi to sit on the bed next to Cara- there was plenty of room between her slight frame and the rails of the hospital bed, but Naomi declined, shaking her head.  
“You two can take a nap, I’m fine right here.” Naomi slid her chair closer to Cara’s bedside as Sam helped her shift ever so slightly, so that she could hold Naomi’s hand as Sam slid onto the bed next to her. She felt so incredibly frail and small as he slipped his arm around her shoulders, her head curling against his chest for the first time in what seemed like ages. Cara’s whole body relaxed slightly as the scent of his stale sweat, deodorant, faded cologne and fresh cigarette smoke tinged her senses, and for the first time since she’d spent the night in his arms, she felt like maybe, just maybe, things could work out in the end. Against her will, Cara felt her eyes bubbling over, spilling tears against his shirt collar.  
“Sam-” She sniffled, feeling his body curl around to hug her as gently as he could.  
“ _Shhhhh, I know, Sweetheart._ ” He whispered just loud enough for her to hear, and Cara could swear she felt a single hot tear against the crown of her head as he held her. “ _I know._ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am toying with whether or not 7 is the last chapter... There may be one more epilogue to tie things up, but I'm not sure yet. Either way, I hope you enjoy that sickly sweet final paragraph as much as I do


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Sam... You haven’t said a word since your testimony in the trial. I’m worried about you. Penny for your thoughts?” Cara sat in the passenger seat of the D+F Fortunes company car Nate and Elena had loaned her for the duration of her recovery, during which time they had hired she and Naomi to work as research consultants. Naomi had chosen to ride home with Nate, Elena and Victor when she saw how Sam had been acting; every member of the group had obviously been concerned, but Sam couldn’t pull himself out of the funk, still bothered by something he couldn’t quite pin down. He took another slow, measured breath from the drivers’ seat before he finally tried to figure out how to explain what he was feeling._

Sam took a slow, aching breath as the heavy wooden doors swung shut behind them, sweat forming an uncomfortable film over his palms as he tried to ignore the way his hands were shaking uncontrollably.  
“Well, congratulations to the both of you. I’m sure this comes as quite a relief to everyone.” Naomi’s lawyer friend smiled cheerfully at Sam and Naomi as they stood outside on the courthouse steps, and Sam realized he’d never felt so glad to see the overcast mid-afternoon clouds overhead.  
“So, that’s it, then?” Naomi asked cautiously, still too wary to start celebrating anything just yet.  
“More or less.” The other woman shrugged, “Mr. Drake’s lawyer had a connection with the judge, which gave us a little extra sway, his fine has been taken care of by his family, and Cara’s testimony virtually guaranteed us an acquittal. This case is closed, go home and be with your loved ones.” _None of this feels real..._ Sam kept finding himself thinking, _how is this the first time I ever manage to stay out of prison?_ And then he saw them- Nathan, Elena, Cara and Victor, walking side-by-side; Cara was finally walking on her own with the help of a cane. It had been seven weeks since that nightmare had begun, and with a heavy sigh, Sam finally felt ready to put it all behind them. Sam and Naomi parted ways with their lawyer after one final thank-you, then made their way down to the parking lot to reunite with the others. Cara’s eyes had fixed on them the moment they’d left the building, but her heart still hurt at the quiet and reserved mannerisms Sam had fallen into to try to hide from the idea of what could have happened. The possibility of being sent back to prison had rocked Sam’s confidence, and as much as he’d tried to commit his time and efforts to helping Cara’s recovery, it was clear he hadn’t been himself for weeks.  
“Congratulations, kids. Never doubted this would be the outcome for a second.” Victor chewed the end of his celebratory cigar as he greeted them, followed by Nathan sweeping Sam into a tight, non-verbal hug that said more than he could ever have spoken out loud. Once they stepped apart again, Sam took his place between Cara and Nathan. He kissed her softly before perching a cigarette between his lips to match hers.  
“So, we were thinking dinner at the house tonight to celebrate one last time before you and Victor fly out in the morning?” Elena explained, wishing anyone would be able to coax more than the one word answers Sam had reduced himself to, leading up to the trial; while they’d finally been officially acquitted, Sam still seemed just as protected and emotionally shut off as he had been hours before.  
“Sounds perfect, Elena, really.” Cara thanked her newfound friend when Sam failed to give any reaction to her words. Victor had already been traveling back and forth to continue he and Sam’s business while Sam had been legally detained, but when their one week vacation turned into a two-month detour, Sam had practically caved in on himself with guilt at feeling like a burden, consumed with fear over his future. Now that he was free, the hypothetical plan to start working again and prove his own value by leaving for Morocco the next morning seemed sudden and unwelcome.  
“Are you sure? We would totally understand if you two wanted to do something on your own-” Cara held up a hand to quiet Elena,  
“I’m sure he’ll regret it later if he doesn’t get to see Cassie for a few more hours. We’ll have tonight to spend alone-” The words sounded worse than she’d intended, earning a grossed-out look from Nate.  
“Ew. Isn’t that particular brand of cardio discouraged while you’re still recovering from major surgery?” He joked, earning a light punch on the arm from Cara.  
“Not what I meant, _ass_.”

***

“Sam... You haven’t said a word since your testimony in the trial. I’m worried about you. Penny for your thoughts?” Cara sat in the passenger seat of the D+F Fortunes company car Nate and Elena had loaned her for the duration of her recovery, during which time they had hired she and Naomi to work as research consultants. Naomi had chosen to ride home with Nate, Elena and Victor when she saw how Sam had been acting; every member of the group had obviously been concerned, but Sam couldn’t pull himself out of the funk, still bothered by something he couldn’t quite pin down. He took another slow, measured breath from the drivers’ seat before he finally tried to figure out how to explain what he was feeling.  
“It’s just... I’m having a hard time believing any of this is happening right now.” He swallowed hard, fingers tightening around the steering wheel. “When I was back in Panama, I had dreams about getting out, finding Nate and moving on with my life. But in the morning, I’d still wake up, and I’d still be there, in my own personal hell.” Cara could only listen to him sincerely as he continued, “When I woke up this morning, I thought I had a fifty-fifty shot I’d be behind bars again by nightfall.”  
“The good news is, you made it. This is real, Sam. We don’t have to worry about that possibility anymore.” Cara offered, wishing she could help him process it somehow. He glanced over at her, the corner of his lip lilting up in a small smile - the first one she’d seen him give genuinely in days.  
“No, instead I get to leave you here with my brother and his family, to go sweat my ass off in the Moroccan jungle, to sell some renaissance art.”  
“At least we have phones, and nobody is at an immediate risk of mortal peril... It’s the little things, right?” The smallest chuckle escaping his lips sounded like the most beautiful music to her ears.  
“Yeah, you’re not wrong.” He reached over to hold her hand, squeezing it gently, “I don’t know, I just feel like, after talking about it for so long, now that I’m free, I don’t want to leave.” Cara had to admit, the prospect of Sam being gone while she continued to work for Nate and Elena felt a little strange; Sam had acted as something of a buffer to ease Cara back into being around Nate, and the Drake-Fisher family, and she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect without his presence. Although, so far she’d been pleasantly surprised with how well she and Elena had gotten along in their few moments alone.

“Sweetheart,” Sam started, and Cara was surprised at the sincere, but unsure quality in his voice. “I’ve never been good at being in relationships, but you’re the first person I’ve met in a long time who made me want to be.” He sighed, sounding distraught, “What happens if I leave, and it fucks up everything between us?” Cara looked at him with wonder, pulling her hand from his to slip through the hair on the back of his neck, massaging gently.  
“If it happens, then it happens, I guess...” Cara shrugged, “We can’t live in fear of the ‘what-if’s. I’m willing to give it a shot, if you are. If nothing else, at least I know you won’t stalk me if things go south.” She joked, and Sam cracked another smile. “As far as my dating track record is concerned, things can only get better from here, right?” He laughed, a small, dry chuckle that broke through the fog of worry and doubt that had been weighing him down; it was like a breath of fresh air, and she couldn’t get enough.  
“Fuck, I’m going to miss you.”  
“Yeah, me too.” Cara smiled sadly, “Who knows, if I keep doing research for your brother, it won’t matter where I’m working from, as long as there’s an internet connection. Maybe I can visit every once in a while after I’m out of PT for good.”  
“I think I might like that.” He smiled at the idea, surprised how much he looked forward to the hypothetical situation. “No guns, this time.” She shook her head, carefully leaning across the center console to kiss him on the cheek.  
“Sounds like a deal to me.”

 

***

_fin_

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is totally self-indulgent, and turned into something so much larger than I originally intended... So, I hope anyone who reads it enjoys it, but this is definitely something I wrote more for myself than anyone else, haha. Anyway, there will be more, so if you enjoy it, stay tuned!
> 
> I love Uncharted, but this is the first piece for it that I've ever put up. Let me know if you ever want to read more!


End file.
